Chaos in a Box
by Determined Dancer
Summary: Remember the box that was supposed to be cupcakes? Remember how it was actually full of six inch chibis that could kill? Well now the Akatsuki is back and the girls are in their world! They may as well be considered the chibis, because now they're facing issues that are much larger than themselves. They need all the help they can get before chaos is unleashed. (Oops, abandoned).
1. When to reflect

June's POV

"You all listening?" I asked loudly while putting a hand on my hip. The children quickly looked up at me, snacks in hand. The teacher looked up from his paper work and smiled for me to go on. I smiled back but internally I was sneering, lucky dork got the day off because Serenity volunteered to come in a tell a few stories.

The children nodded their heads and looked at me intently. "Mhm!" one of the children hummed. He looked so content while he held onto his juice box and sat on the ground. He looked to his friend and they both smiled to each other, both ready for the tale I was going to tell.

"My maiden name is June Summers, I have been accompanied by these two jerks for most of my life. This one," I gestured towards Ashton, "if you remember is Ashton, her maiden name being Coal. Then there is my other friend Serenity. Serenity Soothe."

One of the children made a face and scrunched up his nose and squinted his eyes at me. "Why do you guys have such weird names?" he asked. He looked like an old man for a moment as he scrutinized our names.

"If you remember from the beginning of the story we are from the Land of the Free! For us you all have weird names, where we come from people of all sorts have different names and are not all Japanese," Ashton explained all while holding a fruit snack pack in her left palm.

"Anyways," I sighed as I playfully punched Ashton in the shoulder. "Now, before I was old I had beautiful, long, golden hair that draped all the way down the my upper thigh, but during the absence of the Akatsuki I had it cut. It was still long, it was down to my waist."

Ashton couldn't help but snicker to herself. "She got gum stuck in her hair. That's why she cut it."

The children and Serenity all giggled but I didn't. I didn't find it very amusing that. "Ha, ha. That was very funny, yes, June Summers got gum stuck in her hair. So what?" I eyed Ashton and smirked. "In sixth grade Ashton once pulled the fire alarm on a dare, but it turns out the pipes were broken, so when the war from the sprinklers didn't work and rerouted to the bathrooms. So when she went to the bathroom-"

"But! But! But! That is all in the past and we are living in the present!" Ashton yelled while covering my mouth. I glared at her and she slowly removed her hand from my mouth.

"The reason we are here, in this very classroom is to talk about the past. Specifically our past, Ashton, so why don't you let me get back to my story telling before the children grow bored with your idiocy?" I questioned as I sat on top of the teacher's desk.

Ashton dropped her head in defeat. "Okay," she groaned as she still hung her head in defeat.

"So, besides the hair I didn't change besides getting promoted! Smarts pay off later in life, kids, listen to that." I paused as I watched them whisper to each other, maybe taking about themselves to others. "Ashton actually didn't cut her hair for once in many years and got a tattoo on her left shoulder."

"It's a sick dragon just so you all know!" Ashton yelled, throwing her hands up happily.

"Serenity... didn't change at all physically in six months. I mean, now she was twice as obsessed with cleaning the house but..."

"Can you get back to the story?" a child asked, throwing their arms into the air only to wave it around sporadically.

I chuckled. "Of course. I'll set the day for you. It was in the cold of January on a Wednesday, it was after work and I had just received dinner from Serenity. Okay?"

The children nodded happily and I couldn't help but smile. They reminded me so much of the children at home, even though they were much older than eight and ten year olds. I sucked in a deep breath, knowing this portion was the story always took the longest to tell.

* * *

June's POV

I stared at the small doll that was suspended in the air. It was one of Serenity's old dolls I dug out of storage to practice on. I could now use chakra to control this doll flawlessly. It could dance and turn and jump and flip. I was very proud of myself that in six moths I could not only control this doll but other people, but to a minor degree.

For example, wrestling with Ashton was much more fun than it once was. She'd dive at me with her whole body and all I would have to do is flick my wrist and watch her jump to the right or the left o me. She couldn't touch me, except when she's behind.

The other usage of chakra strings is reaching far away. I, June Summers, am a very lazy person sometimes and whenever I want to grab the remote, but it is out of reach, all I have to do is reach out and watch it as it flies to me. Serenity now calls me Spiderman, but that's okay. It did feel like I had a super power.

I sometimes I wished that Sasori was still here so I could show off to him, that for a beginner I could do so much. I could misdirect people's punches or jumps, I could control inanimate objects, I could walk on walls. It still didn't seem like enough to me. I felt I needed to be able to do more. Next time I saw Sasori I had to blow him away with my progress. Controlling a doll or hanging from the ceiling his not going to impress him.

A draft of cold air ran down my thigh and I immediately tugged the cloak I had on down. I was thankful for the cloak Kisame left behind. It was always warm. Warmer than any winter coat I had ever wore.

A soft crow was heard from behind me and I whipped around to see Crow hopping up to me with a sock in his mouth. I smiled and tugged at the sock in his mouth. In turn Crow tugged back and made muffled squawk noise. I finally tugged it away and looked it over. "Why do you have Ashton's sock?" I questioned as I held her sock up in the air.

The bird was an odd one. Pecking at the window at 12:00 a.m. and making me open the window, he refused to let me go outside at night unsupervised by him or Ashton, Crow didn't like strangers -even the mailman- and he'd always squawk at visitors. Then he'd claw at the window to get to said visitor. Crow pecked items off of the kitchen table much to my annoyance or he pecks at feet when they're bare.

The most annoying thing Crow would do is steal random articles of clothing from my, Ashton, or Serenity's room and bring it to on of us. It is especially annoying when I'm getting ready for work in the morning and Crow is rapidly hopping away with my shirt.

Crow cocked his head to the side and nipped at my hand to try to get the sock back. I tugged away to avoid the swipe. "No, no," I scolded softly as I tapped his beak. I slowly pet his head and Crow cuddled into my hand. "You're such a nice bird aren't you? Wanna go get this back to Ashton?" I asked as I stood up from my spot on the couch.

Ashton was fairing slightly better. She has a job now. Ashton is a gas station attendant just a few minutes from the house, so she could really walk the distance. I'm very proud of her actually. The night Ashton came home with the good news Serenity ad I were cuddling her with love and praise. Her favorite meal was made that night and we stayed up late watching a movie.

She now works everyday of the week like Serenity and I. We don't have much time to think of any of the Akatsuki when we work or when we come home to greet each other happily, but when we do go to bed or we have a moment of silence that seems to be all that fills my head.

Crow flew onto the stair railing and stared at me until I started to walk up the stairs to Ashton's room. After I made it up the stars he flew up again and hopped next to me. I knocked on her door quietly, "Ashton, Crow stole one of your socks again."

There was no answer.

I let out a huff and rolled my eyes. She's been ignoring Serenity ad I lately. Maybe she is sulking or crying, I don't know, but it annoys me and she knows it. Maybe that is why she chooses to ignore me. "Ashton! I'm going to let Crow into your room if you don't answer! I know you're in there and not sleeping," I sighed. I knocked on the door and I knew she wasn't going to answer it so after I opened the door.

There, Ashton sat, on the floor with papers spread out and her phone. Her legs were crossed and she rested her elbow on her knee and chewed on her fingernail. She stared at the papers as if they had wronged her same way. A soft but thoughtful hum filled the room and I couldn't help but smile at how clueless she was.

"Ashton," I snapped, trying to get her attention. She snapped her head up to look at me and gave me an awkward smile.

"Heya, June! What'cha doing here? Like right now... in my room?" she asked as she started to clean up her papers on the floor. She put them into a neat stack and slipped them under her arm, she stood up and walked to her desk and set the papers down of the cluttered surface.

I looked down at Crow and sighed. "He took one of your socks again." I tossed her sock to her and she easily caught it with one hand.

"Come on bird! Don't you know it's a sin to steal a woman's sock? What if there was an emergency and I needed this exact sock, huh? Where you think I'd be at right now? I'd be in trouble because of you," Ashton scolded as she put the single sock away. "Stupid bird," she muttered.

"Crow is a very intelligent bird, excuse you." I crouched down and held my hands open for Crow to hop into. He did so and I hugged the bird to my chest then stroked his soft feathers. "You're such a handsome and intelligent bird, aren't you? Ashton is just jealous that you have fabulous feathers and she doesn't, isn't that right?" I cooed to the bird.

Ashton rolled her eyes and eyed the bird. "You're a real suck up, you know that?" Crow let out a soft coo and buried himself deeper into my arms. "I shouldn't have to compete for affection with a bird," Ashton grumbled.

I shook my head and set Crow down to let him hop around the room as he pleased. "What were you doing with all of those papers?" I asked as I walked up to her desk. Ashton hopped in front of me and swiped the papers away from me.

"Nothing! It's a surprise! I'll show you later!" she yelled holding the papers up so I couldn't reach them. I reached my arms into the air to try and reach the papers, yet height difference had defeated me once again.

"Show me," I demanded as I tried reaching again. Crow made a loud caw and his wings came up aggressively. I looked to the bird questionably, he was getting so worked up over this.

"Chill bird, I'm not gonna hurt your precious owner." Ashton held the papers little bit higher and I jumped to grab them. I finally gave up, knowing this was going to go nowhere. So instead I made a grab at Ashton phone. She tired reaching for it but she was too late. I looked at the screen and scrunched my eyebrows together.

"Why do you have a Japanese translator up?" I asked as I looked at the words on her phone. "Horse, Monkey, Ox, Dragon..." I read aloud. "Ashton, what is this?"

"Nothing!" she shouted again. She jumped at me and tried to make a grab at her phone. I side stepped her and concentrated chakra into my hand. Four blue strings formed and attached themselves to Ashton. I whipped my hand down and she fell over.

I plucked the papers from Ashton's hand before she could recover and I ran off. As I ran away I felt like I was eleven years old again, running from Ashton with her toy in hand. I ran down the stairs, touching each step while Ashton jumped half of the stairs then the other half.

I looked over the paper's title as I ran into the kitchen then at Ashton's fun. I started to type in the characters I saw on the paper and into the phone. Before I continued I looked up to see where Ashton was but made I contact with another woman. Serenity was stationed at the stove, probably packing a lunch for Ashton and I tomorrow. She watched us with an amused smile before focusing on the sandwich she working hard to make.

I ran around the kitchen table and moved as Ashton moved. My hand shot out and I used the chakra strings to fling an apple on the counter at Ashton. She caught it with one hand to look it over and stopped her movement for a moment. "Really?" she asked as she held up her hands. She quirked her eyebrow and her head cocked to the side. "Are you serious? An apple!" she yelled holding up the fruit.

I shrugged as she chucked it at me. I made a vain attempt to grab the apple and it hit my head with a loud thud. "Ow!" I whined holding my head for a moment.

"No chakra in the kitchen," Serenity said as she put a slice of bread over the new sandwich.

"And you are going to enforce this new regulation... how?" I asked.

Ashton glared at me and pointed. "Yeah Serenity! Tell her! While you're at it tell her to give me back my phone and papers!" she yelled angrily. "It's nothin' much, they're just some papers Hidan left behind, they're for me! Not you. You don't see me grabbing all of your precious stuff," Ashton snapped. "Now give me the papers."

Serenity set her utensils down and walked to the side of the table. "Calm down, guys. We're fine. June give Ashton her phone and papers back."

I put my hands up in protest. "I'd rather not-"

Serenity grabbed the papers from my hands before I could react. She walked over to Ashton and gave them to her quickly. I opened my mouth to protest but Serenity cut me off. "June," she breathed out. "Chill, Hidan must've gave it to her for a reason. It's private, okay?"

I looked down, "Yeah, sorry 'bout that."

Ashton rubbed her neck and craned it. "June, look. Just don't do it again. Okay? You're fine."

I looked down at the screen ad sighed. I didn't even get all the way through the translation. I read it one more time and put Ashton's phone down to slide it back to her. She snatched it up quickly and sighed. "Thanks," she muttered.

Serenity smiled and set a hand on my shoulder. She's been quieter lately. Not in a bad way, just always thinking. She been more cautious, less childish, more diplomatic. Serenity is always in her own world now, she stares out at the window in the morning as if she's waiting for something and I wonder what she waits for. Of course she is still silly and pouts when she's upset or giggles when she's happy, there's always that smile on her face. It's different now, more grown up, more nostalgic. She's grown up so much in this pass year and a half.

Serenity let go of my shoulder and turned her attention to the kitchen entrance. Crow hopped into the kitchen and let out a loud squawk and flew onto the table. Ashton quickly moved out of his way and glared. "I still don't like that bird," Ashton muttered. "It could crap in the house at any moment."

"Crow is a sophisticated bird, I thought we've been over this. He is too intelligent to be crapping all over this house" I defended as I pet his beak.

Serenity smiled and pet the bird. "Does it ever remind you of Itachi?" she asked as Crow let out a content chirp.

"In some ways. Crow is sophisticated, intelligent, and elegant." By the end of the sentence my speech had melted into baby talk as I pet the bird. He soaked up all of the attention and rubbed his cheek into my hand much like a cat. "He craves attention and seeks affection, but I will admit Crow is a bit... clumsy."

Serenity giggled for a minute until settling down. "Yeah," she murmured contently. "Sometimes I feel like Itachi can see us. The way Crow looks at us..." Serenity nodded her end and sat down. "It's silly, I know."

"Yeah, it kinda is," Ashton admitted. "But look on the brightside! It's kinda funny to think about! How many times was Crow in the room when you were changing, June?" Ashton wiggled her eyebrows at me and let a charming smirk grace her lips.

My cheeks heated up rapidly and I stuttered for a moment. "Even if that was true, that's not what Itachi would use Crow to do. That isn't very proper," I snapped as I crossing my arms.

"Mhm, sure. Yeah," Ashton muttered as she looked at her nails, clearly unimpressed. "That's cute, now, why don't you stop lying to yourself and admit to me he's a total perv-"

Serenity playfully whacked Ashton's on the head and smiled. "Stop teasing her, June gets flustered enough by watching Ouran High School Host Club," Serenity teased.

I pointed an accusing finger at Serenity. "It's Tamaki and the twins! You can't tell me you blush!" I yelled as I covered my cheeks.

"I'm single, June," Serenity deadpanned as she looked at her nails as well. "I can blush around whoever I want, but you on the other hands..."

I looked at Crow and frowned. "Come on, aren't you supposed to be my back up?" I asked. Crow pecked at the table, loosing interest rapidly. "Thanks a lot."

The cousins both looked at their nails unamused with me. At the same time they both sighed and started examining each other nails. I let out a frustrated huff and whacked them both over the head. "You're both dorks!" I yelled playfully as I mock stormed out of the room. As I walked away I could hear Serenity and Ashton giggling.

Crow followed me out of the room with small hops and let out a coo. "I'm not really mad," I told him.

I sat down on the couch and watched the space of carpet that hid seals. It's been one month since I've seen something, anything. No faint outlines of chakra or little static sparks of chakra in the air either. No mannequin like shapes or little dust particles.

Everyone must've been out on a mission or doing something important. I'm not going to lie but I was beginning to worry, I averaged out the amount of days each team was gone and it averaged out to be two weeks, three days, fourteen hours, and forty five minutes all together. The artist usually finish their missions the fastest and the zombie brothers finish the slowest. Zetsu and Tobi roll around whenever they wanted, their data hasn't been constant. I never see Konan or Pein exit the way all of the other members do.

A blue spark fizzled in the air and I jumped in my seat. "Come on," I whispered to myself, my hands already balled up into fists.

The sparks stopped and never came back. I let out a groan of frustration and looked to Crow. "Can you do anything buddy?" I questioned as I tilted my head to the side.

Crow squawked and I sighed. "That's okay, buddy." I pet his side and smiled lovingly.

I missed them all. I missed Hidan's swearing and Sasori's attitude. I missed Kisame ruffling my hair in the mornings and Deidara being an annoying kid brother. I missed Kakuzu's thoughtful conversaions and Zetsu's early morning rants about their world. I missed Konan's gentle smiles and Pein's advice. I missed Itachi...

For the passed few months I've been trying to figure out how to communicate with them, how to get to them. This circle of seals is my only way in, but it didn't seem to want to work!

I smiled, but now I have a lead thanks to Ashton. 'Horse, Monkey, Ox, Dragon,' I thought. Those were the hand signs, they had to be. I only translated the title of the papers Ashton had. It was for the seals, some type of portal or gateway.

I put my hands together and started to form the proper seal. They started to intertwine each other and repeat the hand seals over and over. 'You're not getting rid of me this easily.'

* * *

3rd POV

Ashton grumbled loudly, it was 11:00 p.m. and that stupid bird wanted out of the house. She slowly walked down the stairs in a t-shirt that was much too large for her. "Your June's, I shouldn't be the one who has to get out of bed and let you out, you stupid bird. I'm going to fu..." Ashton's sentence died off as the bird stared at her from across the room.

"Creepy," she muttered as she walked closer to it. She opened the door at which Crow stood by and the bird went hopping outside then spread its wings. Crow's wings flapped and he was outside. Ashton closed the door immediately, not wanting the cold air to come in. She would always wait five minutes for the animal to come back and if he didn't she'd leave the door open for one minute while she grabbed an apple from the counter or cookie, either worked. The bird was usually in by then, but if he wasn't she'd lock him out for the night.

Five minutes was already up and she caught no sight of the bird. Like usual, she left the door wide open, but only for a minute. As it was left wide open she walked into the kitchen to grab a light snack. She quickly ate an apple as she watched the clock on the microwave hit 11:06.

Though while Ashton was gone in the kitchen she missed the ebony bird speed into the house with wings tucked at his sides and legs pulls up. His beak guided the rest of his body and he soared to the middle of the room till he began to enter the middle of the seals quickly. Ashton didn't see Crow disappear in the middle of the seal in a small flash of blue or the chakra burst that followed.

So when she returned she shut the door and looked around for the bird. He was no where in sight and she shrugged her shoulders. "Your loss birdie," she took one last bite of her apple before throwing it away and heading up to bed.

* * *

"Woah," one of the children breathed out as he stared up at me in amazement.

"I know, right? I am a good story teller," I said as I swung my legs back and forth, I was still seated on the teacher's desk and still next to my two friends.

"Psh, I could do better," Ashton bragged as her arm slung around my shoulders. I rested my head on her arm and smiled. The look I gave her was more than enough to get her riled. "I'm good! Don't give me that look!" she yelled.

The children giggled and pointed at us. "I like your stories!" one of the little voices yelled. Ashton grinned and looked to me with a smug look.

"At least someone appreciates quality storytelling," she huffed out angrily, the wrinkles on her face shifting to make a annoyed looked.

"Uh-uh," I sighed. "Now I am going to continue if you don't mind," I huffed as I crossed my arms. "So during that night I stayed up till the sun started the rise. I was practicing hand signs the whole time. I was proud of myself, but the practice was worthless, so were the seals. Though I didn't know they were worthless."

The small children gasped at this. "Oh no" and "too bad" could be heard throughout the small crowd. They shook their heads. Despite being so young they all probably knew the feeling of defeat.

"What'd you do next?" a child asked as they rubbed their hands together anxiously.

I winked at the child and smiled. "I told you, they weren't getting rid of my that easily."

Serenity giggled besides my and I couldn't help but chuckle back. She looked at me then brushed a few grey hairs behind her ear and smiled. Aston ruffled my hair as she took her hat off to set it down on the counter. "Go ahead." She rested her hand on my shoulder. "I like the next part, makes you seem like an idiot."

I rolled my eyes but gave her a smirk nonetheless. "Dork," I whispered. I cleared my throat and looked up to our audience. They were talking and laughing loudly. Reminded me of my own in some way. The children chatted about our adventures from the previous story and the others chatted away about what was for lunch. I am a patient woman now so I crossed my arms and waited. "Okay, you tell me all when you're ready."


	2. When to cross worlds

**Hello! I'm back! I decided to make a sequel! I had a few requests and decided why not? It wouldn't effect my social life and education too badly, right? i apologize for not writing anything in the beginning, I kinda forgot -_-' oops. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

June's POV

My alarm blared into my ears. I groaned and flipped onto my stomach. Why did it have to be so loud? Why did I choose to set my alarm in the first place? It's a Sunday! What do you think I'm going to do on a Sunday morning, go to church?

I sat up finally, trying to tune out the alarm, as I stretched out for a moment. Soon after my stretch I turned off the alarm and wrapped Kisame's cloak tighter around me. It served as a good blanket. The inside was worn, which automatically made it warmer for me. The sleeves were too big, which could be annoying at times, but mostly it added to the comfort effect.

My legs swung off the side of the bed to only touch the cold ground. I recoiled back quickly, looking around my room for something to cover my feet. At the edge of my bed I finally spotted black socks that oddly looked like they belonged to Ashton. The socks were already too big for me but they were warm nonetheless.

After I slipped them on I made my way to the living room. Ashton was gone at the gym and Serenity was at the dance studio teaching adult yoga. I feel very sorry for her, I've attended one of those classes and the people attending are absolutely intolerable. Her patience will never cease to amaze me.

Now Sunday mornings were usually left to me and Crow. Well, sometimes Crow. Ashton locks him out of the house sometimes, she keeps on telling me he stares at her weird, so she decides to lock him out. I tell her it's animal abuse but she shakes her head at me and tells me Crow belonged to Itachi at some point, he's clearly been through worse.

I call bull crap every time but there is no convincing Ashton on a subject like this.

I decided to brew some coffee and go over the seals I memorized last night. "Horse, Monkey, Ox, Dragon," I repeated to myself. It was four simple seals yet I couldn't seem to mold my chakra right. That frustrated me to no end. I knew I could do it, but not now. I needed chakra and lots of it.

My coffee finished brewing and I took the pot. I stared at it in contemplation then at the mug. I shrugged my shoulders and took the pot of coffee over the mug and began to drink out of it. The coffee was too hot, to the point where it burned my tongue. I pushed chakra to my tongue and focused. My burned tongue was soothed and all was good.

Next, I reached for the pantry shelf and took out a seal. My body still didn't process its own chakra. That's a lie, it didn't fully. There's days when I know I don't have to leech off of Sasori's chakra but then there's other days where I am forced to take it.

Today was one of those days, I thought.

I sat down in the living room with my pot of coffee and paper seal. As I slipped the coffee I would absorb bits of Sasori's chakra. I loved the cool feeling that ran into my body. I hated the cold, but this cool felt good in my insides. I felt like it flushed out the desert heat in my stomach and cooled it down.

Chakra is a fickle force. One minute you and it are working simultaneously in perfect harmony. The next moment it is burning your skin or not comforting you. It won't show when you most need it or want it. One moment I am able to move my bed with two chakra strands but the next I cannot move and cup with ten strands.

After my coffee, I decided to get to work. First I would practice me hand signs. I wanted them down to perfection. Next, I'm using some of the seals Sasori gave me. A week's worth of chakra wouldn't hurt me.

The seals would be laid out on the ground, surrounding the other seals under the carpet placed by the akatsuki. Sasori's seals would serve as other chakra bodies while I preformed the needed hand seals. This was more of an experimental process but it would prove to give me useful information nonetheless. My hypothesis was that the chakra from their world would react but in some small way that I do not know yet. Thus, the conclusion leads me to believe it is possible to transport myself there in some way.

But chakra was a fickle thing, so who knew.

I shrugged and set my pot of coffee on the floor then began to weave my fingers through the familiar seals. "Horse, Monkey, Ox, Dragon," I said as I weaved each sign. I looked to the area where the seals occupied and practiced more.

This was the area I usually spaced out in. I don't know why but it was oddly calming to sit here on the couch and day dream about Itachi coming back. He would sit down next to me then tell me how he missed me. He'd give me a warm smile he gives me and nuzzle my cheek. I would express the same feeling and maybe then he'd stay or I'd come with him. I secretly wanted to leave and never deal with stupid patients or fret over green dollar bills. I never wanted to be seen as a nurse with average intelligence. I wanted people to see how intelligent I was and not be intimidated by me when they found out.

The air sparked and I jumped from my seat. Maybe I would finally see someone. There wasn't any ghostly figures or mannequin like shapes, but what could only describe as a small circle of blue. It floated near the ground and only remained for a fraction of a second before a black blur flew out of the portal.

I whipped my head out to the black blur and watched as it flew into a wall then tumble back to the ground. "Crow!" I yelled as I stood up and ran to the injured bird. Crow was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling with a dazed look. I picked him up and Crow let out a very soft squawk. "Are you okay?" The bird cuddled into my hands and let out a content coo. I then stared at the carpet again and there was no blue portal. "You came from there. Didn't you?" I questioned. The bird didn't answer but continued to coo softly and rubbed his head against my hands.

I knew my answer. Crow was my ticket to the Akatsuki's world. If a bird could cross worlds, why couldn't I?

Though, when I looked at Crow I started to wonder why he was crossing worlds. How could a bird cross worlds and how long has he been doing this behind my back? When does he even find the time to travel to another plane of existence!

Crow cooed again and I couldn't help but smile at the bird. I sat down with the bird in my hands and stared at his black, beady eyes. Why does he even leave, what is he leaving to do or see? Itachi, I thought. Crow is going to see Itachi. Itachi uses his crow summons as clones, to aid his genjutsu or ninjutsu, he uses them as defense and offense. Why couldn't he use them for reports?

"Did you go to see Itachi?" I asked as I petted Crow's soft feathers. The bird cooed in response. "Such an intelligent-"

My phone made a loud buzz, alerting Crow instantly. His wings flew up defensively and waited for me to address the unknown noise. I reached into my pocket and took out my phone. It was a text from Ashton.

 _Gonna be home late. So is Seri_

There was a picture of the two together sent. They were at the dance studio. The two were posing with their faces smashed together, their cheeks pressed firmly against each other. This made their eyes crinkle up and smiles lopsided. I smiled and sent them a picture of myself.

 _U look like crap_

I rolled my eyes, isn't she pleasant to be around in the mornings? I turned my phone over to Crow and showed him the picture. He was about to peck at the screen but I moved away before he could. He made a chirping noise equivalent to a human chuckle and cocked his head to the side. "Let's see when they're coming home. Maybe Serenity can buy you a treat while she's gone."

I went to reply to Ashton. _Geez, thanks for the compliment... Why are you going to be home late? And pick up a treat for Crow._

I assumed the break dancing crew was meeting up tonight and Ashton wanted to watch or maybe join in. My other assumption was the possibility of her friends showing up. Serenity and Ashton have been hanging out with some old high school friends. I'm glad they're getting some fresh air and not sulking inside all of the time. My phone buzzed breaking me from my thoughts.

 _The b-boys are meeting up today. i wanna see em dance w/ Seri. Seri says she'll get crow some worms or something. he nasty btw gtg bai!_

I texted her a quick goodbye as well and was sent one picture of the two. They both were smiling and holding the phone over a small crowd of dancers. They finally were getting over the Akatsuki, well not getting over per se, but recovering. Ashton wasn't locking herself in the room anymore neither was Serenity. In fact after Ashton got a job she seemed happier. I was proud of her, despite that she ignored me sometimes.

I rubbed my hands together and sighed. "Time to get to work Crow," I said as I set the bird besides me and stood up. I stretched my arms and then cracked my knuckles. "You know Crow, I think I took you flying out of a portal way better than most people would have. Don't you think so, because I do. Most people would have fainted from shock and from there they would've broke their neck from hitting the ground too hard or landing on something else. Guess I'm lucky," I rambled.

Crow squawked and flew onto the television. "I'm glad you agree," I sighed happily.

I then proceed to work for the next three hours and twenty minutes on the seals and chakra control. I laid Sasori's seals on the floor and even placed some into my palms. Nothing seemed to work. I practiced the seals over and over again till I memorized them and could preform the whole set of seals in a matter of three seconds. It sounds harder than you would think though.

If chakra was a person or personified it would be a beautiful person. So graceful and proper, but the second you turn around they turn into a back stabbing witch that loves to shove your face into dirt. This person would also be very strong and love to mess with people. They'd be capable of being quiet but at the same time rump around the streets like an elephant on drugs. Chakra would be a terrible person.

I nodded my head and concluded that I would probably be friends with Chakra because people like it are attracted to me for some odd reason. Serenity tells me it is fate but there is no such thing as fate so I like to break it down to personality traits. My traits would simply amplify theirs and theirs contradict mine. Ashton tells me that I am a nerd for wanting to figure out the percentage of weird extroverts that I would befriend accidently.

Crow flew onto my shoulder clumsily, he crashed into the side of my head and his claws dug into my shoulder. I cringed at the feeling for a moment before relaxing. "What do you want?" I asked, knowing fully well that Crow was not capable of human speech. He nipped at my earlobe and I pushed him off my shoulder at this. He squawked at me as he fell onto the floor.

Crow recovered quickly then flew to the door. "Oh," I whispered, "I'm sorry." I walked over to the door and opened it for Crow. It was around the time I let him out for a bathroom break and to do whatever he pleased. Crow flew out of the house quickly and flew high into the sky. His wings spread out gracefully as he glided through the air. He slowly spiraled down to the earth and scraped his claws to the ground before flying up again "Show off," I muttered.

Serenity and Ashton pulled into the driveway at this moment. Ashton burst out of the van and waved happily at me. "I brought nasty treats for the little monster!" she yelled. Serenity shushed her quickly and I over heard her say something about the neighbors not wanting us to disturb them. Ashton then responded with something along the lines of a vulgar comment.

I rolled my eyes at the two and walked back into the house. I stood before the circle of seals. It was a shame that I'd have to clean all up now. But then I decided trying the jutsu one more time wouldn't hurt me. I placed my hands together and slowly formed the seals this time. "Horse, Monkey, Ox, Dragon," I muttered as I concentrated on preforming these seals perfectly.

"June, incoming!" Serenity yelled from behind.

I whipped my head back to feel wind rush across my face. The second after I finished the seals Crow flew passed me with his wings tucked at his sides. When I looked back in front of me there was a large, blue, circle of chakra. Crow flew beak first into it and disappeared. "Crow!" I yelled as I reached my hand forward for him. My arm went into the circle of chakra. My arm went numb with chakra, it felt like an over load. I tried pulling back but the force was too strong and started to pull me in.

"June!" Ashton yelled grabbing my other arm. She tugged at my arm making me think I was going to split apart. My arm was going to be bruised after this and I knew it wouldn't be pretty to look at. I screamed as she tugged at me, because one; it hurt. And two; I was scared.

The force proved to be stronger than Ashton and her grip loosened until my arm slipped free. I was flung into the unknown.

* * *

Let's get one thing straight about weird portals that show up after a bird passes you. Portals are distorting! Disorientating! Discombobulating!

As soon as my knees hit the ground harshly, I emptied my stomach. My hands gripped the ground as if it would disappear any second. My arms shook as I regurgitated my morning coffee. I stared down at it with burning, blurry eyes and rolled onto my back away from my spit up. I breathed out shakily and shuddered. My throat burned dangerously so. I coughed for a minute straight trying to get my breathing regulated. Finally, after what seemed to be hours, it was really only five minutes and seven seconds, I sat up. A burp escaped my throat, making me think I was going to hurl again but I didn't. I held it down.

The next thing I observed was the room I was in. It was dark and the only source of light came from a door from my left and a staircase on my right. The rom was large and open. The staircase and door were not relatively close. As I looked up I could not see a distinct ceiling. Cold air stung my heated cheeks and bare neck. The air, despite its lack of heat, felt cleaner. It was so much cleaner than what I was used to breathing. I started to think that I was hooked up to an oxygen tank. My fingers brushed my face just in case but nothing but my lips touched my finger tips.

I curled my legs up to my chest and let out a shaky breath. Fear and paranoia slowly began to creep its way into my heart as well. The smallest of noises set me off and I was burying my face between my knees in fear. My breath hitched before it quickened. Where was I? Why am I here? Where is Ashton and Serenity? Why am I alone!

I started to hyperventilate and ball my hands into fists. My nails dug into my palms and teeth bit down against the insides of my cheeks. My stomach hurt, it felt like a knife penetrating myself. All logic left me for a fleeting moment before I could start to calm myself. I took in another long breath and quieted my ventilation so I could access the situation. The faint sound of rain could be heard in the distance. The floor was concrete and colder than the air. As I ran my hand on the ground I could feel small pieces of dirt then an oily substance. Ink.

A squawk was heard from my right. I whipped around to see Crow perched on the staircase. "Crow," I breathed out as I staggered to my feet. I walked quickly over to the bird and sat down on one of the stairs. I petted his wing nervously and looked around. "Where are we?" I asked even though he wouldn't answer. I looked up the stairwell to see more light, but it wasn't golden. It reminded me of the light on a rainy day. The staircase itself was small, containing of six steps.

"It's better to keep moving," I whispered to myself.

I slowly stood up and observed the railing. It was different from any other railing I have ever seen. The railing was like pipes running across the side of the concrete wall. There were three pipes total. A faded red, blue and silver pipe. I touched the railing hesitantly then leaned my weight onto the pipes as I walk up the staircase. Crow flew onto my shoulder and perched himself there. I scratch his belly as I walked around, the petting motion serving as a way to calm my nerves.

At the top of the stairs was a hallway. It split off at my right and my left. Then on each hallway there is a number of doors lining it or other hallways branching off. "Rule of right," I tell myself. I pressed my back to the right hallway's wall and breathed out heavily with a new thought.

The thought struck me like lightening. What if there were others here and not sensible people? What if I really was in another world and landed in an enemy base that is impenetrable and I impenetrate it? They would kill me or probe me for information. If this was Konohagakure they'd get Ibiki, but if this was Iwagakure I'd be done for. I'd die for sure, but not before a painful and slow torture session. Kirigakure would be just as bad. Now that I thought about it all of the villages sounded terrible.

I reached into my pocket and found my phone. "Please work," I whispered hopefully. I turned on the device and taped my password in before looking at my signal. Nothing. Absolutely worthless! I felt the urge to slam my phone to the ground in rage but I stayed calm. The phone could prove to be useful at a later date, but for now I needed to focus.

I decided to move on again and kept heading upwards. I wanted a lay out of this building before I attempted to leave it. I decided the best way to map out the layout of this building was to map out one side. It would be best to have one side memorized rather than having a little information about both sides.

I headed to my right again and headed up another set of stairs that were almost identical to the first set. The sound of voices then became known to me. As I listened in on the voices I identified the words to be of another language, but the odd part of it was I could understand the words. As I began to get closer to the voices I headed up three more flights of stairs. Now I could here fragments of sentences. The voices were angry and loud. The only two I heard were male, they seemed to be in a vicious debate.

"I disagree! The matter of... No!... What don't you...!" The voice was a male and certainly angry. I couldn't understand all of what he was saying but I received the message. He was pissed and ready to get violent.

I climbed another set of stairs and crept down the hallway as softly as possible. "It is final! My citizens are not going to be apart of any of your schemes! I do not care if we can capture a jinchuriki by sacrificing any of my innocent!" a new male voice yelled angrily. The sound of a fist pounding a desk was heard soon after. I flinched at the sound and drew back.

'Jinchuriki?' I thought angrily. 'Who else would want to capture a jinchuriki besides Madara? Why would someone want to put innocents at risk!' Jinchurki were not force to reckon with unless you were the Akatsuki, but even then. A jinchuriki could prove to be a challenge, but whoever spoke had no right to try and capture them. Jinchuriki are human as well.

I was right by the door now and listening intently. There was no noise now, I assumed the pause was for everyone in the room to gather their bearings or they knew I was here. "Why don't we take a break from this subject and discuss the matters of mission reports. I haven't been able to read through all of them," the second male voice sighed.

The atmosphere was calmer now and I decided that these people held a position of power and hopefully wouldn't mind helping me. I rested my knuckled on the door and took in a deep breath. "Yes, we shall resume this conversation later, now what about..." I knocked on the door before the first voice could continue.

The sounds of paper rustling and drawers opening were heard before silence followed. Footsteps walking in different directions were heard then followed by the faint noise of a throat clearing. "Enter," one of the voices ordered. I took in a deep breath and opened the door with one swift movement. I scrunched my eyes shut and tensed my shoulders out of fear. I hoped a kunai wouldn't be launched at me or any other weapon. Crow squawked loudly and his wing hit the side of my face as he spread them out offensively. My hands shot up defensively in fear of something hitting my face.

"June?"

I opened my eyes to see a familiar orange haired shinobi in front of me. "Pein!" I gasped happily. I whipped my head down in the most clumsy bow before flinging myself at him. Crow gave out a loud squawk before jumping down from my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him and started to yell. "I don't know what's going on or how I got here or why I'm here!" I felt all of my pent up stress relieve itself and I started to tear up at the sight of Pein. I've never been happier in my life to see this man. I pushed my face into his Akatsuki cloak and drew in a shaky breath. Pein lifted his hands up and wondered what to do. He didn't want to hug me back, that would be showing emotion and he's the leader of a criminal organization. Why would he hug a civilian girl? So Pein opted for patting my head awkwardly. "I'm nervous, I don't know how I got here. I'm sorry.

Pein nudged me off of his person and grabbed my shoulders. "June," he said. I looked up at him and marveled for a moment. He didn't change. His voice was still intimating and demeanor still serious, but something about that made me feel glad. "June," he said again as he shook me lightly. "Are you injured?" he asked as his hands tightened around my shoulders. I looked into his purple ringed eyes and admired them. Hs eyes were just as intimidating as ever. I couldn't believe he was here, it made my heart beat out of its chest and blood flow faster.

I looked down, embarrassed now. "No, my stomach hurts though. I may or may not have thrown up downstairs. In one of your room..." I sighed as I scratched at my cheek. Pein's usual stern look melted into a sigh. He shook his head at my before resting his hands on my shoulders. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"It is a relief to know that you are fine, but June, please refrain from throwing up in my facility again. I do not want anyone stepping in that," Pein deadpanned, but he was teasing me in his own humorous way. Pein's hands came down from my shoulders and rested at his sides.

I ignored Pein's comment and gave him a smirk. "I actually missed you, Pein," I murmured as I bowed one more time, but this bow was proper. I bowed deeply with me arms glued to my sides.

"I see you haven't forgotten me completely," he said contently.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, are you?" I joked as I smiled sincerely at him.

Pein huffed and shook his head. "I suppose not," he deadpanned as he turned around and motioned for me to follow him. He lead me to the side of the room where his desk resided. The room itself was dimly lit except for the desk. Behind the desk was two chairs and in front was another pair of chairs. The light was bright and luminous that filled the area, the corners of the room were left without light though. Pein sat me down in one of the chairs seated in front of his desk. I scooted closer to his desk so I could rest my hands on it and Pein sat down behind the desk.

He cleared papers from his desk and neatly stacked them together before putting them into a drawer to the left. I couldn't read Japanese so his action was pointless, but I could understand why he set his papers aside. They could be important documents and Pein enjoyed his privacy, only letting very few invade it.

"So tell me, is the cloak your wearing stolen or did you find it lying around?" Pein asked as he dug in a drawer to his right.

I looked down at the cloak and let out a soft, "Oh." I pulled the cloak closer to me body. "This was not stolen nor did I find it lying about. The only Akatsuki member to act on such an decision would be Hidan and I don't know where he's been. Kisame left it behind when you all left and I have taken quite the liking towards it," I explained.

Pein nodded his head and pulled out two pills from one of his drawers. "Ah, there it is. Here," Pein set the pills into my hands, "The first one is a solider pill. You look quite tried and I do not want you falling asleep yet. I have quite a few questions for you. The second pill will help with your stomach, if you have to regurgitate again please do it in the garbage and not on my desk," Pein explained as he motioned towards the garbage bin to my side.

I huffed and crossed my arms. Pein pretended not to know he offended me and kept on playing innocent. "Go on," I insisted. "Ask your questions, but then I want a nap. I'm tired."

"Of course, Itachi's room is not far below us," Pein sighed. I gawked at him and covered my cheeks. Before I could snap at him Pein asked me a question. "First of all... what's the bird doing here?" he deadpanned as he stared at Crow from across the room. Crow was squawking at the corner and hopping around it. He continued to yell at nothing as he furiously looked at me then the corner again.

"That's Crow. I'm 98% positive that's Itachi's summon. He showed up the day after you all left," I sighed as I stared at the bird.

"You named a crow, Crow?" Pein asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"It just happened! I'm not very creative," I snapped as I slid into my seat. Pein muttered something about excuses but I didn't want to listen. I had a question for him now. "Pein, who else was here? When I came up the stairs I heard another voice."

Pein let out a groan and closed his eyes. He motioned his hand towards the corner Crow was squawking at. "Why are you..." My voice died out as an image started to appear in the corner.

"Camouflage jutsu, quite useful for eavesdropping, isn't it?" the form chuckled as it walked closer to me.

"Madara," I hissed.

* * *

 **Personally I think the quality of my writing has increased. I look back and... cringe. I think we have all ha hose moments of total cringe. Ugh. Anyways, let me know what you thought .**

 **Q- What would you like to see happen to the girls and co.?**

 **Fun Fact- Ashton got a job at the gas station and has yet to be fired. Despite strong urges to shoplift she knows how much this jobs means to June. And Serenity teaches adult yoga classes, she despises it so much because the people re often rude and incompliant. Though she just smiles and nods.**

 **Well, till next time, dear readers!**


	3. When to panic

Ashton's POV

I stared at my hands in shock then slowly looked up to see no flashing of blue or no flailing blonde. She was gone. June was actually gone.

I slumped back and fell over onto my back. She was just here. I just was holding onto her. I silently vowed I wouldn't let go, but she's gone now. She was supposed to be fine. Serenity and I came home ready to see June. I looked to the ground to see it littered with extra seals and a pot of tipped over coffee.

"June," Serenity whispered as she pawed at the air as if the mass of blue would appear out of nowhere. "This isn't funny if you're showing us a new trick you learned. Come on June! Come back!" Serenity called as she swiped at the air again.

"She could be in any world," I whispered, effectively scaring myself. I whipped up from my laying position and stared at the wall. "She could be in Naruto yeah, but if that exists who says Tokyo Ghoul or Attack on Titan doesn't! She could be getting eaten or mutilated or interrogated or! She could be in Boku No Pico!" I fretted as I grabbed my head. She was just here and now she's gone! It's all my fault, isn't it?"

Serenity grabbed my cheeks and grabbed me so I was facing her. "No! This is not your fault, if anything this is her own fault. She did whatever caused her to leave! Don't beat yourself over this! We'll find her!" Serenity promised as she held onto my cheeks.

"No! This is my fault! She probably got into those papers I had! Those papers had the seals for getting to their world! She probably found them when she was home alone! I could have hid them better or even tld her the truth and maybe then she wouldn't've used them!" I yelled back as I pulled away from Serenity.

"Papers! That's what they were! Why didn't you tell-"

"I'm sorry!"

"Oh my god!"

"I really am sorry!"

"No! Oh my god, look!" Serenity took me by the face again and positioned it towards the seals.

On the ground was a blue outline, much like the outlines of the Akatsuki we see every now and then. The figure was bent over holding onto the ground with its mouth open and body shaking. It was oddly unsettling because of how small it was.

"JUNE!" Serenity and I screamed in unison as we jumped at her. Like all of the other blue outlies we see, Serenity and I passed right through her. She was bent over and hyperventilating. To us she was just a blue outline of a mannequin, but that only made me wonder what her face looked like. It disturbed me knowing how small the figure really was. When June was in her large sweaters and giving me a deadpan expression she seemed so much bigger.

Serenity and I huddled together and watched June. She laid on the ground for a few minutes before sitting up and making a motion that made me think she was going to throw up again. As she sat up she looked around. "I wondered what she's seeing," I whispered as Serenity grabbed onto my hand.

"She could be anywhere," Serenity whispered back to me as she gripped my hand even harder. I watched as Serenity moved her hand up to her face to wipe away unshed tears then cover her mouth with her blue sweater sleeve. Serenity let out a barley audible whimper and sniffle. "I hope she's not in any type of danger. She can't be."

June shifted so she was now hugging her knees and looking around once more. Her small frame stated to shake and hyperventilate. This where Serenity started to sniffle even more and I felt my heart twist in worry. June wasn't okay, she was scared. "Oh June, calm down," I whispered.

I wanted to curl my arms around Serenity and June at the same time and tell them it's over. We can go into the kitchen and eat pizza while watching the newest episode of Serenity's silly kids shows. We can listen to June's boring radio talk shows or they could listen to me ramble about my day.

The image of us in the kitchen eating together merrily was ruined by June's shaking figure. I could see her and her cloak that was too big for her. Her hair would be in a messy bun that was full of dirt and her fingernails would be caked with mud and her face covered with a streak of blood.

I calmed down when Junes form stopped shaking. She looked calm now, which in turn made Serenity calmer. June's fingers ran across the ground before her head whipped to the side making mine as well. From what I could see there was nothing but to her something good was presenting itself before her. June faintly smiled then chased after whatever she was looking at. Serenity and I both moved with her but as soon as she moved out of the vicinity of the seals she disappeared and Serenity cried out for her to wait.

"No! June!" Serenity cried out as I held her back. There was nothing else for us to do. Serenity struggled in my gripped and whined. "Let go!"

I gripped her waist and dragged her to the ground. "Not until you calm down!"

Serenity flailed around for a few more seconds before she started to realize that her fight was futile. When she calmed down Serenity went limp into my arms and let out a heavy sigh. "Sorry," she murmured. She rolled onto the ground and laid on her stomach. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"I don't know," I murmured back. I joined her on the floor but I was lying on my side.

"Wanna tell me about those papers? Is that why June is gone?" Serenity asked as she used her arm as a pillow.

"Not really," I muttered, slowly turning away from her.

"I wanna know what was on those papers, why June is gone. I have a right to know, Ash," Serenity reasoned, trying to make me look at her.

I sighed and shook my head. "I found them after they left. The papers were on my desk and from Hidan. I don't know if he left the papers purposely or not. I'm guessing he forgot to take it but you never know with that guy." I shrugged my shoulders.

Hidan was a sore subject for Serenity. I'm not completely sure but it had to do with her yelling at him the night before. Before he left Serenity and him weren't on the best of terms. The two were always temperamental when it came to their friendship. Serenity told me all of the details but it had to do with Hidan becoming violent like usual and Serenity saying some hurtful things. Because he left the night of the fight she thinks he'll be mad at her forever.

"Of course he'd forget important papers, typical," she sighed with a puff of her cheeks.

"Anyways I decided not to touch them until last week. I thought it was private writing and not something I should look at. My curiosity got the best of me last week and I had to go see what he wrote. I finished translating the middle section just around when June barged into my room yesterday and then finished later that night. The papers was like a logging. It talked about the progress of the seals and the jutsu. It mentioned side comments about his feelings towards the jutsu, nothing like a diary. Just rather 'smart' comments about the jutsu. It gave equations towards the jutsu and how it worked. If he didn't slap his name on the top of the paper I wouldn't have known Hidan wrote it, in fact I would think Kakuzu was the culprit."

Serenity nodded her head along as she listened. I could tell as she bit her lip that she was deep in thought.

I continued, "He mentioned the mechanics and the amount of chakra needed to send him back home. Apparently it didn't take the whole Akatsuki to use their chakra, in reality only one of the Akatsuki had to preform the jutsu. It doesn't require chakra per person, it's time. So for every second it takes a fifth of one's chakra, assuming they have a average amount, and it may cause nausea. He wrote this jutsu wasn't just some trick to escape with, this was some serious dimensional business that shouldn't be messed with frequently. He didn't explain why."

"Did he write anything else?" Serenity asked as she slowly sat up from her lying position.

'He wrote how he wished you would accompany him.' "No, didn't say anything else except technical stuff about the seal and how he hated Pein for making him create that seal," I chuckled dryly as I took off my cap and ran a hand through my hair.

Serenity's eyes were red now and cheeks heated. "We wait for her now, don't we?" she asked, slowly hugging herself.

"Yeah, we'll wait. Want me to bring some pillows and blankets down here?" Knowing Serenity she would like to sleep down here for the night just in case June appeared again. "I can even bring a few flashlights, it'll be like a dumb sleepover from when we were younger."

She nodded sadly and stood up. "I'll make something to eat."

"Yeah," I whispered back to her.

I slowly made my way upstairs and into one of our many closets. Three blankets were neatly tucked away with three pillows sitting on top of each blanket. I suddenly grew more depressed. I softly grabbed at the brown, worn blanket that June used ever since she was eight. I bought her the blanket at the fair we visited each an every year. She would sleep with it when she had nightmares and walked around the house with it covering her shoulders. She brought this blanket everywhere.

For me, it is very weird seeing June grown up and admittingly more mature than me. I've always been her rock, but now she was bigger and was the one to tell me what to do. I was used to being in charge. Now she lead me and sometimes it hurt. June, as a woman, was always in control, but seeing the fear on her face as she disappeared kept flashing through my mind. She was relying on me again and I failed her!

June was finally depending on me again, she was finally putting her complete trust into me after years of skepticism. The moment she was about to disappear she had put her complete trust in me, it's been three years since she's put that much trust in me, and I don't blame her. All of the debt and fights... she didn't trust me.

I liked to give Itachi some credit in this processes. June really did love him, she trusted him more than she trusted anyone in the last few years. Itachi and I didn't talk much, but we shared a mutual respect for each other. There were times where Itachi would come to me for advice. June knew everything about him before he even knew her name and Itachi being a man of intelligence couldn't admit that he didn't know why his girlfriend was upset.

I can remember the conversation so clearly. He came up to me in the month of October, he knocked on my door many times. I was ignoring him because Hidan and I were talking. I think he knocked on the door six times before I finally answered and invited him inside of my room. Hidan left as soon as Itachi came. Itachi stared at me, not knowing how to word whatever he was about to say. He opened his mouth once then closed it, then he opened his mouth again, but he remained silent.

"I'm sorry for bothering you," he murmured quietly, he headed for the door and was about to leave the room before I grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him back. Itachi shrugged off my hand quickly and bowed his head. He sighed in defeat, knowing I was going to pry for information and he told me June refused to acknowledge him. "June is upset with me, I wasn't able to come to a solid conclusion. Can you provide any extra information?"

I laughed. The mighty Itachi Uchiha couldn't figure out why his girlfriend was upset. "Did you wake her up to early? Did you invade her personal space or mention any of her family? Did you not say goodbye to her? She hates being ignored. If she was going to work and she says goodbye to you, you need to acknowledge her," I explained seriously. I this way June was truly a tsundere.

Itachi made a small 'o' with his mouth before nodding his head. "Thank you, Ashton." And with that Itachi walked away. From that point in history Itachi would periodically come to me for advice. All he had to do was tell me the problem, I'd provide an answer and he'd leave. It was as simple as that.

I shook my head, enough spacing. It was time to get these blankets down stairs. Serenity probably already done making something to eat. "Ashton!" Serenity called softly, but as she called her voice cracked. I sighed, she was crying. So I hurried down to her with three blankets and pillows.

* * *

And so we waited. Three. Freaking. Whole. Days.

I really don't think June understand how stressful those days were for us. Serenity and I both skipped work to sit on a couch and watch nothing. Neither of us read a book or watched any movies while we waited because we feared that we might miss something, anything.

I've never been so bored and ready to throw up from anxiety in my life. Anytime I thought something was going to appear I jumped out of my seat and was ready to fight. I don't know what I was going to fight but I was ready to. For three days nothing did pop up till the third day. June appeared, from what I could tell she was doing much better.

"Ashton! Ashton!" Serenity screamed shaking me. She frantically pointed in front of her and I looked up. June was looking around and seemingly talking to somebody. "She's okay! She's alive! Thank you! Thank you!" Serenity chanted as she did a small dance around the room as her hands were in the air.

I stared with disbelief as June talked to nothing nonchalantly. I sunk down into my seat and felt tears slowly well up. She was safe, she wasn't gone. It wasn't all my fault.

June turned her attention and started to look around and wave. Her mouth moved and from what I could read she was saying hello over and over again.

"I think she's trying to get our attention," Serenity gasped as she stood by June, awaiting her next move.

"She's not even facing you," I deadpanned.

"We just got June back and the first thing you say is a sarcastic comment! We literally cried for an hour straight thinking she was dead and you can't tell me how relieved you are?" Serenity scolded as she chopped me on the head with her hand.

I couldn't help but shrug. "I knew she was going to be okay." I really missed her. "She's fine and she'll be with us soon, so why can't I start cracking jokes now?"

Serenity open her mouth to say something but was cut off by June's actions. She started to point to the seals on the ground. Her motion told us to come closer and we did, even though she was facing the other way. I was guessing we could see her but she couldn't see us somehow. Maybe it was because she had chakra and we didn't, that was my guess.

Serenity and I stood in front of June. "What do you think she's gonna do next?" Serenity whispered.

"I don't know-" A blue flash of light slowly came into existence and June disappeared behind it. It slowly swirled in a circular motion and caused Serenity and I to quiet. It was mesmerizing to stare it. Almost hypnotic.

Serenity slowly drew closer to me and I wrapped a protective arm around her. Her long hair slowly was pulled towards the strange blue light and could feel me body slowly being dragged towards it. I began pushing against the pull but as I did the pull grew even stronger. The blue portal's blue swirl was disrupted near the middle and turned into small ripples before a pale hand came through.

"June," Serenity whispered as she grabbed onto her hand. June's hand grabbed back onto Serenity's and gave a small tug. Serenity pulled back in fear and June gestures for her to come. I hesitantly grabbed onto June's hand and held her hand to my cheek. Her hand was cold like usual and she slowly felt my cheek before tugging it.

"Ow!" I exclaimed pushing off her hand. June smacked my hand with a blind swat before finally latching onto my wrist and pulling. I held onto Serenity's hand before grinning. That was June alright. "Let's go get June," I said quietly as I let the pull of the portal grow stronger. My hair was whipping round insanely now and I used my free hand to hold down my hat. I braced myself as June's hand started to draw back and I put my hand into the portal. On the other side I felt her gently hold my hand. "Come on, Seri." I let go of her hand and jumped in.

I heard Serenity give a small squeak before hopping in after me and I grinned a wild smile. Suck it June! This is my third dimension!

The feeling was exhilarating for a moment. Almost like a drug that gave you an all time rush and made you feel invincible. It felt amazing, almost magical. But then again, after every drug one must crash in some way. Something must go wrong. I saw June for only a flash, I was about to crash into her. Her hands covered her face, ready to feel the impact of my weight. The blow never came because as soon as she came she left.

I crashed into a freaking tree.

* * *

My head throbbed, it felt as if I had just been hit by a truck.. or it kinda reminded me of a heavy night of drinking, either way my head was throbbing. As I cracked my eyes open I started to squint and furiously blink. I rubbed my eye with my left arm and removed whatever was in my eye. Blood. I was reminded of when I was seven, Henry and Blake were messing around. Long story short they swung a stick at my forehead and created a scratch that kept bleeding. Blood got into my eye and I couldn't see. The memory made me want to laugh, Henry and Blake were grounded for the next two weeks and had to pay for my doctor bills. The stitches I got were not nice.

After a minute of consciousness I wanted to hurl, but my fear of vomit prevented me from doing so. I swallowed hard and long, trying to keep down all of my food. I felt so sick, my head hurt and my stomach felt as if it was being torn through. I tired jerking around but I couldn't. My ankle was caught in a branch and so was my arm. The blood rushing to my head caused my headache to become even worse. I cried out in pain before silencing myself. I opted to look around instead of moaning in pain for the next ten minutes.

I was in a tree, I observed, but I was stuck in the higher parts of the tree. Maybe forty feet high or more. It's hard to tell when your upside down and running on adrenaline alone. As I looked down at the ground I could see my hat and suddenly became thankful it was not windy. If I were to loose my hat I would be extremely disappointed. I've had that hat ever since I was a kid. I reached my hand out towards my hat even though I knew I couldn't touch the hat.

It was still light out, meaning I haven't been out for long. The sun was shining through the thicket of trees, slightly blinding me like the ceiling lights at a dentist's office. I wanted to turn off the sun, if that was possible.

"Hello!" I yelled. I cupped my hand around my mouth. "Helloooooo! I need some help! I'm gonna pass out soon! I'm kinda stuck in a tree! HELLOOO!"

I smacked my lips together, my mouth extremely dry. I started to crave for Gatorade. Blue cheery to be exact. That was the best flavor and I'd fight anyone saying otherwise. My throat was dry as well. Everything felt dry, including my vision. My hands felt dry and my eyes felt dry. I started to think I was going to pass out soon. I couldn't pass out now. If I did, and upside down, I might die.

"Okay God! Now would be a great time for a miracle!" I screamed to the heavens. "I know you and me haven't been on the best of terms! I'm really sorry for my past transgressions and sins!" But after my shouting I silently started to pray. The last time I heard a prayer was from my grandfather. He held my hand just this year and prayed for me to continue being clean of my "past sins".

A wave of tiredness washed over me and I knew I didn't have much longer left.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

I looked down and saw four figures below me. I couldn't make them out because it hurt to focus my eyes on something. They looked up at me and I waved my hand at them. "My hat!" I called down to them. "Get my hat!" I watched one of the figures pick up my hat and I finally felt relieved. I was going to be fine, but for the record, don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old.

* * *

 **How many care that I go back and like rewrite half of Chibi in a Box? Because I was looking over it and... cringe. Otherwise I think I'm going to carry on and ignore all that. Besides that matter I really hate exams -_-**

 **Fun Fact- Ashton has a large collection of hats and Serenity likes to press flowers. As a child her brother Nico taught her how to press flowers but later on she stopped until Zetsu started to explain it to her again. Now she has a small booklet with pressed flowers.**

 **A- I'm still deciding on a lot of this**

 **Q- Anyone like Steven Universe?**

 **Well that's it for now, till next time!**


	4. When to listen

Serenity's POV

After I rushed in the portal after Ashton I didn't see anything except her back and then nothingness. I was mildly upset with Ashton jumping through the portal, but I was more upset with myself for following. Ever since the Akatsuki left I started to realize adventure wasn't for me. I loved the rush, but not the pain.

Speaking of pain though!

Pain is all that coursed through my body, but only for a moment. I felt like I fell off of a Broadway stage and into the orchestra pit. My ankle was twisted in a tuba and hand caught in the harp. My back popped because of the pure force and I felt embarrassed. I was doing so well and looking so elegant and like all dancers their small little façade is destroyed with an injured ankle.

I groaned in pain. Let's use the ballet analogy for another day.

I gripped my head. "Kill meeeee," I moaned out as I held my head, "pleeeeeeasssse." Why does it hurt so much? I don't remember hitting anything, I don't remember much of anything though... Only jumping through the portal and screaming. That's as far as I could recall, but I was in a warm bed covered in blankets. My surroundings were a small wooden room that reminded me of a cottage in the forest. To my left was a nightstand with a glass of water and to my right a chair with a pair of clothes.

The water looked refreshing. As refreshing as a cup of coffee. I felt terrible, someone was providing me with a bed and water, I didn't even know who my provider was. I figured whoever they were would have wanted me to drink the water, so the glass of water was gone in a matter of seconds. I wiped my mouth and blushed despite no one being around. I felt almost savage as I drank the water. I drank so fast it dribbled down the sides of my mouth and onto my shirt.

I wiped my mouth with my sleeve before getting out of the bed. I stretched first and felt very inflexible for once in my life. After ten minutes of stretching I finally looked over the pair of clothes draped over the chair. The clothes were much too big for me. The shirt was a light, green, cotton top and the pants the same color. I really didn't want to use another's clothing but when I looked at my clothes I thought differently.

You see, my way of telling if something is clean is much different from Ashton's and June's. June's definition of clean is "free from dirt, marks, or stains." Apparently if there isn't a single stain on her shirt after she has worn it for weeks she claims it as 'clean'. Is she aware how many germs are on that? Ashton on the other hand learnt Hidan's infamous sniff test. If it smelt unbearable it was unwearable, if not it would be worn again. Personally that approach of hygiene was disgusting.

I left the room quietly and bare foot. Outside of the room was a hallway with wooden flooring. The hall was very dark but reminded me of home. It felt like I was sneaking out of the room early in the morning to make breakfast. If I made too much noise I would wake Deidara, or even worse Sasori. Both would either fall back asleep or start to scold me.

As I crept down the halls I felt scared in some way. I knew I was in a different world, I could feel it. Just by the way the ground felt and the air tasted. Everything was different, even the way I felt, ignoring the pain in my head. The lights were dimed in the hallways, so I assumed it was night time. People were sleeping, that explained the eerie silence.

I crept down the stairs to see a few people talking quietly, not wanting to disturb the peace of this place. I would describe this place as more of a tavern than a hotel. People were drinking and playing quiet games of poker all while chatting. I didn't fit in with the setting. The clothing everyone was wearing was much like anime and the way they looked. Long hair tied back, sandals, and swords tucked away in sheaths as it rested on the back of their owners.

"Ah! Look who we have here! The mystery woman is finally awake."

I turned around to see a large man with white hair. He was wearing the same clothing as me except he had a red sleeveless robe on. Red marks adorned his face and he smiled warmly at me. I recoiled at his sight. My god, it was Jiraiya the flipping Sannin.

What excited me the most was his voice. The man was speaking fluent Japanese and I could understand him! Do you know what that means? I'm trilingual! I'm not questioning the mechanics of dimensional traveling at all. June told me the language change was due to survivability rates.

Deidara told her he spoke fluent Japanese and never once in his life spoke or heard of English. She came to the conclusion that the portal will ensure life to the traveler through any means. Not knowing the language while you're stuck at six inches could compromise your survivability. This is also the reason why Sasori became human again.

I looked back up at Jiraiya. He was as tall as Kisame and intimidating in some ways. With Pein in the house for a year I quickly learned about respect and learned to bow when I saw him. He was a man of authority, a man to be respected. Bowing was drilled into me, I even bowed to strangers sometimes, it was becoming a bad habit. So when I took in his gaze I whipped my head down and bowed at a ninety degree angle. This man deserved to be bowed to. Unlike Pein, he didn't demand respect. He was humble... well humble in a business sense.

"Hey kid, no need for the bowing," he chuckled. I stood up straight and laughed nervously. "I'm Jiraiya of the Sannin. I don't know if you know me or not but," he leaned closer to me to whisper, "but I'm kinda a big deal."

I giggled at this. "Yes, I know of you Jiraiya of the Sannin. I've heard many great stories about you!" I giggled as I spread my arms out for exaggeration.

Jiraiya found this funny somehow and began to laugh. "Well aren't you a flatterer!"

I shrugged. "I aim to please." I smiled before I became embarrassed again, realizing that Jiraiya of the Sannin had probably saved me. He was a busy man, he shouldn't be worried about me. I'm June and Ashton's problem, not his. "I'm guessing you're the one who found me, thank you. I really appreciate the clothes too."

"Don't sweat it," he rubbed the back of his neck, "how about this. As a source of payment you can tell me your story over some food. I'm starving, you?"

I nodded meekly. "I can pay you back later, I have a few friends who owe me some money and I can pay you back. How many hours was I out? I can pay for the housing," I suggested as I crossed my arms. I felt I needed to repay him in some way, what he did was awfully kind.

"Hours? You've been out cold for two days, I was starting to think you'd never wake," Jiraiya laughed heartily.

"I can't except that, sir. I caused you an awful lot of trouble. Please let me pay," I insisted.

He began walking to a counter with a man behind it cleaning glasses. As the man cleaned the glass I started to realize that this was a bar with housing. "It's fine, I'm not even paying for it. My student offered to, he's the one who found you," he waved his hand to catch the man behind the counter's attention, "what do you want to eat?"

"Umm," I hummed looking at a menu. I swallowed nervously, the menu was in Japanese. I slid the menu away and looked at him nervously. "What is there?" I asked, folding my hands together nicely. He took a seat on one of the stools close to the counter and so did I.

"Just look through one of the menus for a few minutes, take your time," he insisted, his nose buried deep in the menu.

"Well that's the thing," I laughed, though very anxious. I didn't want to appear as an idiot that couldn't read but apparently I was going to. "I can't exactly read this." I awkwardly waved the menu and smile.

Jiraiya quirked his eyebrow before nodding seriously. "That's okay, not everyone is taught how. You know when I was younger I wasn't a very skilled reader. Now that I'm older though, I've had plenty of practice. You'll be fine and..."

I heard this speech a billion times when I was younger and learning English. Even when I was older I preferred my native tongue. Everyone would tell me with some practice and effort I would be fine. You would think at this age I would be fine with the language, that I'd have no trace of an accent, but that was sadly untrue. I didn't prefer English even if I could speak it fluently, but there was still a slight accent to my words. When I was little Nico used to talk to me in Spanish so I could express myself well. I'm glad Ashton learned it, she's almost fluent in the language. When my depression started rolling in I couldn't say what I was feeling properly, but in my language I could express myself from the heart. Ashton even consoled me in my own tongue.

She's good that way.

Jiraiya took the menu from my hands and pointed to a word. "That's sakuramochi and that's beef dumplings. Over here is shrimp dumplings and here is dango," he said and pointed to each word. I smiled as he said dango. Itachi's favorite food. He loved it so much I had to learn three different recipes for him.

"Dango, please," I chimed happily.

"Sure! Excuse me! I'll have one plate of dango and," he looked down at the menu one more time, "some beef dumplings. Thank you!" The man behind the counter nodded his head and began preparing the food.

"So kid, what's your name?" he questioned as he set the menu down and turned his attention to me.

I swung my feet softly. "Soothe Serenity," I introduced, remembering they said their names backwards. I smiled a little, I was proud that I could remember that.

"Serenity, never heard that name before. Weird." Jiraiya paused for a moment then turned his attention to the man behind the counter to see if he was done with our food. The Sannin was very thoughtful for a moment before he gasped. "Where are my manners? Serenity is a wonderful name! I didn't mean to offend you," he apologized in a panicked voice.

I giggled. "No, it's fine. I find some people's names here weird too."

Jiraiya laughed before turning his attention away from me. He stared off at the wall and began to talk, as if I wasn't really there. "So are you going to tell me how you ended up passed out outside of a bar after being reported to supposedly crashing into this bars wall. Out of no where might I add. While your at it why don't you tell me about your clothes, where you come from and those odd objects you had on you."

I smiled, though it was a nervous smile. So this was what all of the nice treatment was for. To butter me up then interrogate me. I can't slip up here. "I come from Wisconsin, it's in America and as to why I ended up crashing into this bar. That's a total mystery to me. My clothes are just normal attire where I come from and the odd objects, you gotta be more specific."

He quirked his eyebrow at me. "Okay, I'll be more specific." He reached into his pockets to pull out my earbuds, phone and charger. Jiraiya laid the items down in a row. The items were in my sweatshirt pockets while we waited for June. I had a few snacks, a water bottle and Hidan's metal beaded necklace stuffed in my oversized sweatshirt pocket as well, wonder where those went

I quickly snatched my phone and held it to my chest. "I need this!" I exclaimed, partially angry he took my phone. I looked down at my phone and sighed. "What would I do without you?"

"What is it?" he demanded, his large hands setting the phone back onto the table with my hand still touching it.

"That's my phone," I snapped. I then pointed to my charger. "That's my charger, it charges the device if you couldn't catch on and these are my earbuds! I listen to music with them."

Jiraiya took the earbud and put it against his ear. "I don't here anything."

"You put it into the phone," I huffed, angrily snatching my earbuds from him and the rest of my belongings. I didn't know where the man had been, he could have some kind of disease on him and was touching my earbuds which I put inside of my ear. Ninjas weren't the cleanest of people. Nasty if you ask me.

"You got quite moody about all that," he commented with an amused smirk.

I puffed out my cheeks in annoyance. "Of course I would! I call Ashton and June with this..." I looked to my phone and then turned it on. 49%. It was at 49%. I could get to June and Ashton!

I swipe and typed in my password quickly before pressing the phone icon and June's name. I pressed my phone to my ear. The phone rung once, then twice and over and over till static. "Come on," I muttered angrily. I pressed Ashton's number again and waited.

The Sannin looked at me with concern. "Serenity, what are you doing?" he asked. I knew he thought I was hostile in some way. He had to think that. How would you react if someone started into a device you didn't know existed.

"Ashton! Pick up your phone!" I yelled, thoroughly annoyed. I looked my phone over for any cracks or malfunctions. As I looked it over I noticed I had no signal. "Ugh! Of course there's no signal!" I looked to Jiraiya angrily and groaned. "Did you do anything to this? Is there a power source nearby or what's the highest peak around here? I _need_ to call my friends."

"Kid, calm down," he murmured.

"I can't! Look, five days ago my dear friend, June, went missing and she's somewhere in this land! I'm finally getting close to her and I get hope but now I'm at square one again! I don't even know where I am or what's going on or where my friends are!" I cried out as frustrated tears pricked my eyes as I held onto my hair.

The man behind the counter silently placed a plate of dango in front of me and I chewed on it. I felt like a kid full of pent up whiny rage. This kid was now stuffing their face, hoping they could find some comfort in one of their favorite foods. "I just want to see her," I mumbled with a mouth full of food.

I swallowed hard and sighed. "Where are we?"

"Where in Kusagakure. The Land of Grass, why?" he asked, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I racked my brain for the familiar map Itachi used to show me almost everyday. He told me about the geography and the maps. He would test me to see if I was listening. "Kusa is close to Ame, right? I need to get to Amegakure," I thought of Pein and Konan for a moment, "I know people who can get me home. My friends are there."

"Slow down, explain Serenity," Jiraiya insisted as he patted my back again.

I calmed down and put a hand to my chest. "Five days ago, my friend June Summers disappeared. My cousin Ashton and I waited for her for three days until we ended up here. She's here as well, I know she is. I just don't know where exactly though. I can't tell you where we come from exactly, you wouldn't believe me. Some how we all ended up in different places. I don't know how it all works. Where I come from there is no such thing as chakra and next thing I know I'm being sucked up by it? Then I wake here and meet you..." I explained before munching on a another stick of dango.

"Okay," he sighed, "let me get this straight. Your friend, June, went missing."

"Yep."

"And she's somewhere in one of the five countries or smaller lands?"

"For sure."

"You come from a land of no chakra and end up here through chakra somehow?"

"Right."

"And you don't know where you are or your cousin and friend?"

"Correctamundo ."

He sighed, very loudly. A little to loudly to make me feel unwanted. I didn't want to trouble him with any of my burdens but this is happening so quickly to me. I needed some kind of vent before I exploded. I missed June and Ashton. I missed Deidara and Itachi and the rest of the Akatsuki. I needed some comfort.

"You sure went through something kid, now I know for sure you're not some kind of spy," Jiraiya muttered as he rubbed his temples. "But that's okay. Eat up. My student should be back in a moment and you can relax and talk to him. He's a very likeable kid. Don't worry right now."

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to stress you or even make you think I was some kind of enemy. I'd never want to harm you or anyone else. I've just had a bad week. I can make it up to you by making you guys breakfast, I'm used to cooking for a crowd of two," I suggested as I flashed him a reassuring smile.

He chuckled before nodding. "Okay. Since you insisted early to pay me back you owe my student and me three meals." He held up a three fingers for each meal.

"Sounds fair, I can cook some Japanese dishes. Bakudan, ramen, rice cakes-"

"Ramen you say? Oh-hoho! Say no more! My student loves ramen, tell him that and you might be cooking for him the rest of the week!" he laughed as he finally picked up his food. He shoved a whole dumpling in his mouth before chewing loudly.

I laughed at this. Naruto Uzumaki. Jinchuriki of the nine tails, defender and hero of the Leaf, good friend, and seventh Hokage, but most importantly a ramen lover. "He surely does love his ramen!" I giggled into my sleeve. I could picture Naruto slurping down the ramen quickly then asking for seconds.

He glanced at me and I smiled. The Sannin smiled back and then stretched his arms. "You know what, it's late and I know you just woke up, but I think I'm going to retire for the night." He shoved the rest of the beef dumplings in his mouth before turning back to me. "You know what? I have your other belongings in my room. Wanna go grab them with me?"

I nodded at his invitation. I took the last stick of dango and hopped off the chair after I collected my items. "Thank you!" I yelled to the man behind the counter and he nodded to me then waved. Jiraiya waved back and started to head elsewhere. We walked upstairs quietly and then down the dim hallway until we reached his room. He slid open the door for me and let me walk in first.

"You know, where I come from we don't have sliding doors," I chimed looking around the slightly messy room. Orange articles of clothing littered the room with a few kunai or ramen cups.

"Oh really," he mused with a small chuckled. He closed the sliding door before stepping further into the room.

He kicked the clothes to the side and sighed. "You'll have to excuse the room. My student is still a child. You know how teens are."

"I certainly do. I have a friend who's like a kid brother to me and he was the same way. I swear I was picking up after him all day."

Jiraiya rounded behind my slowly and gave me a small smile. "Serenity, I forgot to ask you while we were still downstairs, how you knew my student likes ramen? I bet you know his name too, why don't you tell me?"

Crap.

He walked behind me for a reason, to block the door. I'm an idiot! I slipped up! I cursed myself and groaned. "I swear I'm not after Naruto! I swear it on my life! I'd never do anything to hurt him! I promise! I'm not a spy or a danger or some assassin. Please believe me," I begged as I stepped back.

"So you do know his name, good. There will be no need for introductions then. Look kid, I really was going to believe you until I noticed the chakra clumping onto you. Just tell me what village you are from and I'll let you go easy," he explained.

"Chakra? Village? Didn't you just hear the story I told you downstairs? I don't know almost anything bout my situation! You're terrible!"

I finished my yelling with the cross of my arms. "Now if you you'll excuse me I'm going to go order ten more plates of dango and watch funny cat videos. I hope you don't mind sir." I walked passed Jiraiya and opened the door. "I enjoyed your company and thank you for your hospitality! I'll see you in the morning and buenos noche!"

The door slammed shut behind me and I walked away to go stress eat. I left the room to a shocked Sannin but only to be greeted by a blonde. I bumped into the blonde before pushing myself off of them. "I am so sorry-"

Once I got a closer look at said blond I noticed exactly who he was. "You know what," I pointed a finger to him and then the room I left, "your master is a perv and deaf old man. He didn't listen to a single thing I said and I'm very sorry for this outburst."

Naruto didn't get a word in because I stalked off angrily. From down the hallway I heard Naruto yell at his master. "What the heck, Jiraiya sensei!"

* * *

 **Finally Serenity's POV. She's very distressed, she trying her best.**

 **Fun Fact- Excluding the Akatsuki, Serenity's favorite characters are Naruto, Tenten, Temari, Jiraiya, Sakura, Lee and Hinata. Serenity dislikes Madara, Gatou, A, Onoki, and Fugaku**

 **A- Steven Universe is like my favorite cartoon! My top characters are Steven, Peridot, and Greg.**

 **Q- Would you rather be stuck in Attack on Titan or Tokyo Ghoul?**

 **Goodbye! Till next time.**


	5. When to be welcomed

June's POV

"Madara," I hissed.

The masked man strided towards me with an amused chuckle. He pull up a chair and sat down at the side of Pein's desk. He folded his hands on his lap as I glared at him. He acted like me dropping by was a normal occurrence. I prepared myself for some type of rude gesture or comment but none came my way; he did the opposite.

"How have you been June?" he asked politely. The tone of his voice set me off and I wanted to slam my hands on the desk.

I restrained myself and fixed my posture. "My day started out lovely. I had a pot of coffee, practiced some seals and chakra control. I got sucked into a portal against my will, threw up and had a panic attack. The usual." I shrugged and beckoned for Crow to come. The bird hopped over to me and flew into my lap where I petted him gently.

"How has your chakra system been developing? You said you have practicied?" Madara asked, his mask still casting an annoying shadow over his eye. I never liked not seeing someone's eyes. The eyes are the passage to the soul and for him, this is very much true. For all I know, he could be gazing at me with his sharingan blazing with life. Every movement or gesture I make could be memorized.

"I can make chakra strings, walk on walls, misdirect the attacks of others with my chakra strings. I'm working on water walking as well," I answered, trying my best not to snap at him. I gave him a strained smile then looked to Pein for some type of help. I knew Pein wasn't going to help me now, Madara had that man whipped.

Madara hummed softly for a moment. "And how about the other two? Ashton and Serenity?"

"Fine."

"There is no need to be so snippy June. You're among comrades," he insisted, a pleasant ring touching his voice lightly. As I predicted though, the friendly voice did not stay. His voice became more serious now. "I've been doing a great deal of thinking over these passed feel months you know."

"Oh really? I wasn't aware you could even think a great deal," I snapped crossing my arms.

Pein gave me a glance that told me to behave or else. "June," he warned.

I bowed my head and muttered a quick apology to Pein. "What have you been thinking about Madara?"

"I realized I could make the Akatsuki's job of collecting the biju much easier," he leaned closer, " I know you are aware of many things. Our pasts, our personalities, ourselves. I found out you visited our friend Nagato, isn't that right?" he asked with an amused chuckle. "I underestimated you three again and that annoys me to no end. Do you know how frustrating that is?"

I opened my mouth to answer but he cut me off. "Of course you would," he waved a dismissive hand and sighed, "June, you proved to be much more intelligent than you were leading onto. I have wondered many times why you are a nurse that nobody acknowledges. You are capable of some much more, we both know this. You could have so much more. More money, praise, power, so this leads me to my next thought. I have a proposition for you June."

That piece of absolute garbage! He was feeding of my insecurities! I know I'm intelligent. I know my intellect is more grand than his, yet he still plots so, so deviously. But, he's surprised I'm a nurse? Is he inferring I am incapable of my job and should move on to helping him with world domination? World domination doesn't sound appealing when everyone is in a dream world!

"I'd never trust you, you bas-"

"Ah, ah, ah. Language June. I thought Serenity taught you better than that," he chuckled wagging his finger in the air like I was a child.

I gave a low groan before leaning back into my seat. "What is your offer?" I asked, my hand absently petting the top of Crow's head.

"Not an offer, but a deal. I want you to aid me till what you call the 'storyline' or 'plot' ends. I am assuming that I am not victorious. So, I want your knowledge. You will stay here for the next few years telling me as much as possible, every detail and every jutsu. You will inform me about people, the outcomes of battles, the pasts of others, what ever I need. In return, I will pay for your house and provide you with what you need. After the ordeal you are free to resume your life like normal."

I stared at him blankly. Why does he think I'll help him? Is he stupid? Why would I go through a few years of absolute hell and stress? Why would I help him win? I gave him a mocking chuckle and held my sides. "You're pretty stupid, you know that? I don't know what makes you so stupid but whatever your on really works!" I calmed from my laughter and gave him a serious look. "Did you really think I'd accept? Help you win and then what? Put everyone into a Infin-"

Madara slammed his hands on the desk. "June!" he barked loudly. I jumped in my seat and grabbed onto the desk.

"I'm going to leave," I stated eagerly. I went to stand up but Madara was behind me, pushing me back down. "Let go of me!"

Madara tighten his grip and I realized my mistake. Pein doesn't know about Infinite Tsukynomi. Of course he doesn't. Pein thinks he is going to create world peace, not a dream world. I relaxed in my seat and hung my head. I started to wonder what if I just stayed here with my head hung and eyes closed. Maybe they would think I was done or passed out. Maybe I could get out of this talk.

"Good," Madara said as he sat back down.

I lifted my head and looked through my blonde locks. "I'd never take that deal and you'll never be able to take the information from me. I'd kill myself first," I spit out.

"You didn't let me finish. Also in return I'd let the Akatsuki do whatever they please. Those like Itachi, Deidara, Hidan. They had no choice but to join. If you're more than enough help I might even comply to some of their demands."

I wanted to scream. Now he pulls this! That means Itachi could go back with me and we could live happily! He wouldn't have to be so worried and stressed. Deidara could go out into the world and show off his art. He wouldn't be held down. Hidan could... Hidan could do whatever he liked. Spread his religion or something.

"Ugh! What are you trying to do to my brain!" I groaned dropping my forehead to the desk and covering it. "I do not- I know-but -isn't this a trick? You could off me the second you get? How would I even defend myself?" I sputtered out

Madara hummed in agreement and went over the details of what I would be doing over the next few years. I would tell Madara whatever he needs to know whenever he needed to know. The Uchiha also complimented my intellect, I would help him with strategy as well. I would be trained efficiently so I could defend myself. I would not talk to anyone outside of the Akatsuki unless they were Ame citizens or he says. In return Madara would allow any member leave and come back to my world when they pleased after the few years. He would pay for my house, for food, pay water and electricity bills and let me go. Ashton and Serenity could come here or stay home. Madara said it didn't matter, he just wanted me. There were more details that I could not comprehend at the moment. In the back of my mind there was an annoying buzz that wouldn't let me focus. Maybe it was my vibes warning me or the medication. Or both. I needed some time to calm down, some time to breath and talk and not be near Madara.

Pein noticed I was half dead and decided to help me. "Do you need some time to think, June?" Pein asked. The man stood up then stood at my side awaiting my answer. I looked up at him, his ringed eyes seemed to see right through me. Like he knew exactly what I was thinking. I wanted to leave now and I could see Pein wanted to as well. I nodded my head and slowly stood up.

"Yeah, I'm really tired," I muttered. I took Crow in both hands and started walking to the door. "I'll talk later, dork. I need some rest." I turned to him to bow my head and then refused to turn back again.

"Of course," Madara replied as he bowed his head towards me.

Pein put a hand on my back and pushed me through the door. He led my up three more sets of steps. I didn't question his lead because I was to tired to think. I was only focusing on the stairs. The steps were short stairwells, each consisted of five or six steps. He took me down the hall and everything was slightly different. Up here it was much cleaner and nicer looking. "I am assuming you would like to see Konan?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice."

Pein stopped in the middle of the hallway and knocked on his door lightly. The door differed from the rest of the hall. The door was painted a beautiful white. There wasn't a single mark or tick.

"Konan, may I come in?" Pein asked, his head almost touching the door as he leaned in.

"You may."

Pein held his hand out for me to stay and he poked his head in the room. "I have a visitor for-" he ran into the room before giving a soft command to her. "Sit down, you didn't have to greet me at the door. I can come to you Konan. Sit back down."

"I am capable of walking, Nagato," I heard her muttered bitterly. She let out a sigh much like Ashton. "Who is this visitor? It better not be one of the boys. They know their boundaries or else." She sounded much like Ashton now that I thought about it. Maybe they hung out a bit too much.

"It is not one of the others Konan, I can promise you that. Come in," Pein commanded. I poked my head in the room. It was very beautiful. The room was lighter colored with a grand bed in the middle with a dresser next to it. All of the shelves were occupied with books or origami items. At the side of their room was a door leading to a balcony. The rain could be heard more vividly, but somehow it soothed me.

My eyes landed on Konan and I smiled. "Hey," I said softly.

Her eyes lit up and she shot up from her seat which was a soft chair pulled up to a table. As soon a she stood up I noticed what Pein was talking about immediately. Konan had a very round stomach. She wasn't wearing her cloak but an oversized shirt that was from our world. "June! It is so nice to see you," she greeted happily as she walked towards me. I set Crow down and he hopped away, knowing he shouldn't get in between two girls hugging.

We hugged each other tightly and smiled. "I missed you very much," she whispered to me.

I nodded. "Me too, girl. Me too."

We let the embrace drag on for another moment before letting go and looking at each other. Konan looked more tired than she has ever before. She had no make up and her hair was down. "I am sorry you must see me this way. I've been very tired," she murmured. Pein motioned for Konan to sit back down and she did. She rested her hands on her large belly and smiled sweetly towards me. Pein stood standing with his hand rested protectively on Konan's shoulder as he watched me.

"So, uh," I gestured to her stomach, "when did this all... happen?"

Konan laughed and covered her mouth. "I'm seven months and two weeks in if you were wondering," she explained, still hiding a small tint of laughter.

I looked up at Pein. "Nagato's, right?"

Pein nodded. "Yes, the child is mine."

"So, you guys must've hooked up back in our world. If Nagato was supposedly crippled, how did you-"

Konan blushed brightly and shook her head. "June," she warned, but I knew she was teasing.

"What is it?"

Konan gave me a light glare. "My child is not an 'it'." She softened her gaze as she looked down. "I do not know, I want a surprise. Though, I do have names. If our baby is a girl, Amaya shall be her name, but if it is a boy, Isamu," she remarked happily.

I stood up from my seat and crouched down. I looked to Konan then hovered my hand of her stomach. "Do you mind?" I asked, wanting permission to touch the child. Konan nodded and I set my hand on her warm stomach. "What do the names mean? You and Nagato are thoughtful people, I am sure the names have a hidden meaning."

Konan nodded. "Of course there would be a meaning to our child's name. Amaya means night rain and Isamu means strong and courageous. It wasn't that hard of a decision actually. I've had these names in mind for quite sometime."

"Your kid is going to be awesome," I said in awe. "They'll be beautiful and intelligent like their mother and strong like their father. They'll grow up to be wonderful. Heck, if I even stay I'll watch the kid." I pressed my whole hand on her stomach. I felt a tiny kick and recoiled back. "Did they just kick?"

Konan chuckled. "Mhm, they're quite active."

I slowly brought my hand back and smiled. I never really liked children but this kid could just change my mind. This kid was going to change the timeline so much, but I could work with that. Who knows, maybe they can screw up Madara's plans in some way. I'd be impressed if they could pull that off. I may have to adopt them if they did, but Konan probably won't want to share.

"So Pein, what do you think they're going to be?"

"A boy," Pein answered instantaneously.

I chuckled. "That was quick. Do you know because of your Godlike powers that I cannot comprehend or is it just a guess?" I teased as I stood up and sat back down.

He didn't answer. Pein was to busy admiring Konan. I smiled at the two. I didn't want Madara to mess them up. I didn't want Konan to die and have a orphaned child. I want her and Nagato, not Pein, but Nagato to live a very happy life. The more I thought about Madara's offer the more I became tempted to take it. I could screw with all of his plans, but I have never been one for broken promises.

"I missed you guys a lot," I sighed, now resting my head in my arms. "I just want Ashton and Serenity to be here. I miss them. I missed you guys." I missed Itachi.

"Would you like me to escort you to another room where you can rest?" Pein asked as he set his hand on Konan's shoulders.

I nodded my head. "I- yeah, that'd be nice."

"I shall be back later, Konan," Pein promised. Konan smiled before standing up. She stood up and cupped his cheek, but Pein pulled back, slightly embarrassed by the gesture.

"Oh, it's just June," Konan scolded lightly as she nuzzled his cheek. Pein looked away from me and I did the same. I didn't want to embarrass the man, he had a pride to keep and when Konan snuggled him you could here his pride crack with embarrassment. "Love you," she whispered to him. Pein gave a soft hum signifying he did as well.

He then walked over to me and lead me outside the room with Crow hopping at our sides. As he walked through the building he explained how it was all organized. "The bottom floor isn't used very much. The Akatsuki members just enter through there and come up the nearest steps. The bottom floor is the messiest and can also be used for sealing. Weapons or garbage are usually dumped there."

"The next level is used for storage, the one after is the artist's level. The artists occupy the third level, they use it for their art studios and Deidara has an exit of the building in his area. The citizens of Ame have become accustomed to white birds flying over the city. The fourth level is designated to the zombie brothers. Hidan has a room for his praying and since Kakuzu is the treasurer, he has his own office."

"The... Itachi and Kisame occupy the fifth level. The space they occupy is mostly empty but they stay quiet. Next level is my office, a meeting area, and a library. My office was in the room we met today. Next to it is the large meeting room and then the library. I take pride in our library, it is full of many rare scrolls I had the others retrieve. The seventh level is Konan and I's level. We share a level with Zetsu and Madara."

"They sound like great neighbors," I sighed sarcastically as I rolled my eyes.

"You wouldn't believe how great they are," Pein replied, equally as sarcastic. I laughed at this and he smirked down at me.

"As I was saying, the eighth level is used for the other paths of Pein, I keep my true body on that level as well. I trust you will not go there if it is not an emergency. I'd appreciate it if your antics only effected this vessel. " I nodded, knowing fully well there would be consequences if I did.

"Then there is the roof," he continued. "Many of the members go to the roof for their own purposes. Sometimes to train and sometimes to think. There is a separate set of staircases to the roof so the other members do not stumble onto my body or the other Paths of Pain. On the third level there is an extension to this building which is the training room, all of the best material is there. Use it whenever you please. Also, since Itachi and Kisame do not occupy much of their level, which also happens to be the biggest, they have donated a portion of it to a kitchen and dining room. There is also a room for recreation, like a living room."

"You really need a name for those two. You have the artists, the zombies, the leaders, the spies and Itachi and Kisame. You even have a name for Ashton, Serenity, and I. Were the girls, right? Step up your naming game Pein!" I teased.

Pein sighed. "You are right, maybe you'll think of one later." He stopped at a door abruptly and I ran into him. "We are here. Rest for now June. We will talk later."

I stood at the door and smiled up at him. "Thank you, Nagato," I murmured. As he turned around I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back. "What am I to do, regarding Madara. I'm scared, I don't trust him," I whispered.

"June, I am very surprised you trust me to be your confidant. I am not fit for consoling you on this subject because we never did see eye to eye. But I will tell you this; think carefully June. Madara may be a dangerous man, but we have the same goals. Think of it as if I gave you this offer."

You're wrong.

"We are both working towards the same goal. June, we have known each other for sometime now and lived in close quarters. There have been quarrels between us but you have learned to trust us. If you trust me so, then place your trust with him. We are creating word peace. We are unifying the world."

So very wrong.

I knew once Pein started ranting he would never stop so I cut him off and thanked him politely. He bowed his head and I did the same. He left the hall quietly and the building was silent now. I entered the room and walked to the bed right away. I could tell this was Itachi's room. The smell and the simple decorations gave it away. Plus, there was an Uchiha symbol painted on the inside of his door, but it sounds better if I can identify the room by smell and looks alone.

I crashed onto his small bed and snuggled under his black blankets. It was soft and warm, which I liked because the rest of the building was relatively cold. For now it was time for sleep. Madara was sure to come back and ask me for my thoughts. I didn't trust him, but this is an opportunity I couldn't pass. He'd let the Akatsuki leave if they wanted, comply to some of their requests. He could clear Itachi's name. The man said he would pay for bills, even some of my living essentials.

This is where everything gets tricky. I get so worked up about Madara I forget about Zetsu and Kaguya. I can't forget a few major plot holes Kishimoto left, isn't that fun? Then there is the issue of telling Pein and the shinobi war. Why is this all complicated?

Thinking about it all made my head hurt. Sleeping was the easiest thing to do for now.

* * *

3rd POV

Kisame groaned as he stretched out his neck. That Iwa shinobi hit harder than he expected. Even if the shinobi was a chunin Kisame underestimated them. Though, they weren't anything Kisame couldn't take care of, but why did he have to aim for the neck? Who even tries to kick their enemies neck when the height difference is two feet? Where is the logic in that? But the mission was done and over with and Kisame had new information of the location of the gobi container. So, that was a plus.

"I can't wait to get this report over with. I need some sleep, it's been forever since I slept in my bed. Pein is a slave driver! Ever since we came back all we have been doing is missions and nothing more," Kisame complained, still rubbing his neck.

Itachi grunted in agreement. The two entered through the building's front entrance. Itachi never did lie the first level, it was dirty and not a proper entrance. Only jonin Ame shinobi could go into this section of the building and that was only for simple deliveries that Akatsuki didn't have time for.

"Gross," Kisame muttered as he lifted his foot from a pile of something. "Watch your step Itachi. Hidan probably left something gross here." Kisame jogged over to the stairs and started to take of his shoes. "These mean nothing to me now." He tossed his shoes to the side and jogged up the rest of the stairs while Itachi carefully stepped around whatever was on the floor.

"You know what sounds good right about now?" Kisame asked as Itachi walked up the stairs.

"What would that be?" Itachi questioned quietly. He spoke quietly because his throat was sore. Kisame and him were in the Land of Iron for quite sometime before they left for Iwagakure. Itachi did not like being in the cold of weather for so long. Not to mention his eyes hurt, he's been using his sharingan all week with almost no rest. Usually after missions Kiame would fetch him a warm towel for his eyes. It was a common thing they did after each mission. Kisame would throw a warm towel at him without a word and Itachi would restock his weapon pouch. Simple as that.

"Serenity's cooking. I could use some ramen or spaghetti. Or even pizza!" Kisame chuckled as he thought back fondly. On cue his stomach rumbled and he patted his stomach. "That says something about how we have been eating for the past few weeks. Serenity wouldn't let us go hungry like this. Serenity would feed us before we even became too hungry again. I always wondered if she'd ever consider becoming one of those cooking-nin. She'd be good at it," Kisame commented.

Itachi nodded in agreement but didn't want to talk about this subject. Serenity was a sore spot for him. The young woman was almost like a child sometimes. She lovingly referred to him as her brother. Itachi wasn't sure if she called him such because of his resemblance to her late brother or she truly felt that way. Either way, he took it as a compliment and returned the feeling.

The pair were outside of Pein's office and Kisame knocked. "It's Kisame."

"Enter," Pein's voice rung.

Kisame and Itachi entered and bowed before their leader. Pein bowed his head in acknowledgement and folded his hands. "I presume the information retrievals and assassinations were successful?" Pein questioned.

"Of course, Leader," Itachi answered. Itachi's head whipped to the side as he heard a squawk. A crow hopped into sight from his perch, which would be one of Pein's large shelves. Itachi watched as Crow hopped towards him and then fly onto his shoulder. Itachi wanted to yell at the bird, tell him to leave because now Pein would think Itachi was spying. But the Uchiha didn't like cruelty so instead he stroked the crow's wing.

"I apologize Pein-sama, I must have forgot about one of my summons," he lied as he lightly tried pushing the crow away.

"There is no need for stories Uchiha, I know of the Crow's purpose," Pein stated matter-of-factly. Pein acted as if he had knew the whole time and it wasn't important. "I do not want to hear another lie from you, you are forgiven. We shall talk about the details of your mission later, for now retire to your rooms. You have been gone for long."

Itachi wanted to groan aloud, but he knew how to restrain himself. Pein never let them leave a mission unreported. Something was going on and Itachi didn't like it. He liked to be well informed. Bad things happened when Itachi didn't know all the details, he can recall several different occasions in which lack of information had almost killed him.

But he wasn't complaining, if Itachi was getting extra sleep, who was he to turn away a gift horse?

As the duo left Pein stopped them. "Itachi, do not be alarmed by the extra... adornment in your room," Pein warned with an amused look on his face. Kisame was about to speak for Itachi but Pein interrupted. "Now go."

The two left quickly and in the hallway they gave each other a questioning look. "Well, now I'm curious, 'Tachi. I gotta know what's in your room. Hopefully Hidan or Deidara didn't touch your room," Kisame chuckled. "On second thought, I hope Deidara did something. It's a lot of fun to watch him frantically dodge oversized fireballs."

"Deidara should know better by now then to touch my room. He is almost sixteen, he is mature enough to know not to touch others belongs," Itachi sighed as he stood in front of his door. Itachi opened the door to see his room was the exact same but with a lump on his bed and snuggled under the covers. The Uchiha was certain that this was a person.

So with red eyes and slow steps he made his way over to the form. He pulled the covers back slowly all while he grabbed for his kunai. All of the Akatsuki knew to stay away from his room, nonetheless sleep in it. That was disrespectful and why sleep in his room? Kisame surly has the bigger bed. The leader's have a wonderful room, why would anybody touch his?

But golden locks of hair were discovered as he pulled away the sheets. "June," he whispered silently.

Kisame leaned over Itachi's shoulders to see June sleeping peacefully. "How'd she get here?" he questioned. Kisame was truly puzzled. His partner has been very upset these pass months and even commented once aloud he would like to see June again. Kisame knew Itachi loved the blonde very much but did not except the Uchiha to be this upset upon their departure.

Itachi was always quiet, never wanting Kisame to worry about him. They had an unspoken agreement never to intrude on each other's personal lives or space, but the years passed and the two began to rely on each other in battle, then in life. Itachi was young and wise, but needed some kind of guidance. Kisame silently told himself he would help Itachi and he did, but he never probed too much. Kisame changed his mind after Itachi was admitted into the hospital.

Kisame tried to support Itachi after they left. Itachi may not know, but Kisame was aware of just how fragile Itachi's stability could be. The Uchiha never lost himself, never, but when his new safe ground, June, was ripped from him he was expected to be snippy.

Now June was right in Itachi's bed, wrapped up in blankets like a present. Kisame could only stare, she was really here. He was torn between waking her and letting her sleep. She looked to be in a deep sleep, but then again June was oblivious to the world when she was asleep. She was truly the definition of a heavy sleeper.

Kisame shook away his thoughts and noticed Itachi was already changed in cleaner attire. Itachi was already sitting on the bed staring at the blonde. "I cant believe she is here? I'm almost tempted to check if this is a genjutsu."

Kisame chuckled, his partner hasn't cracked a joke in a few weeks. "It's not partner. Tell me when she wakes up, I want to say hi to the kid before you hog her all to yourself."

"I have a right not to share Kisame, remember that," Itachi murmured as he pulled the covers over himself. Itachi ignored Kisame's leave and wrapped an arm around June's waist to pull her closer to him. Her hair was spread messily and on his face but he didn't mind. For him, it was enough she was here.

Actually here.

* * *

 **So yeah... Itachi finally gets to see June. He's been waiting for quite some time for this moment. Would you al like to see June's or Ashton's POV next chapter? I'm trying to alternate but I kinda want to show June and Itachi.**

 **Fun Fact- Excluding the Akatsuki, June's favorite characters are Tsunade, Naruto, Gaara, Tobirama, Utakata, and Shino. If she had to pick an absolute favorite, it'd be Naruto. And her least favorite characters are Orochimaru, Karin, Gai, Sarutobi, and Danzo.**

 **A- I'd take Tokyo Ghoul over Attack on Titan. I have a chance if it's a ghoul. A slim chance, but better than Attack on Titan.**

 **Q- Do you like nachos? (Idk)**

 **Till next time!**


	6. When to see a raven

June's POV (Before Ashton and Serenity's arrival)

I woke up to arms wrapped around my waist and a face entangled with my golden locks. The breathing was slow and warm on the back of my neck, but I could tell he was awake. Of course I knew who was snuggling me from behind. How could I not? I slowly turned around, still in his arms.

"You're awake," Itachi whispered to me.

"Yeah, I am," I whispered back. I curled into his chest and let out a shaky breath. It felt so nice to be here, in his arms once more. He didn't understand what sleeping alone was like after almost a year of being warm. "I missed you so much. I don't think you know how much it hurt to see you leave? Why didn't you say goodbye? I was so confused." I pushed his chest away angrily but he pulled me closer. I fought against his grip, not wanting him to touch me now.

Itachi grabbed at my shoulders, trying to soothe me, but I turned away.

"I apologize, I thought it would be easier if it were that way. Do forgive me, June." He pulled me closer to him so our foreheads were touching. I looked at him angrily but soon relaxed once I noticed how upset he was. He took in deep shaky breath and closed his eyes, for once I couldn't tell what he was thinking because there were too many thoughts in my own head. "May I kiss you?" he finally questioned, his voice no more than a murmur.

I hesitated for a moment before nodding. I was greeted with a wake up deep kiss. I could tell he was tired but anxious. I was as well, tired and anxious. My mind wanted to relax and be with Itachi but subconsciously I was with Madara. His plans and proposition. I thought about Ashton and Serenity, thinking about how worried they were. Maybe they thought I was gone forever. Then I thought about the child, Konan's child. He wasn't canon and this made me upset because how? I couldn't think straight, but now that I was warm and held, I could have some relief.

Our lips pulled apart and I sighed. "It was so cold without you."

"I know."

"I hate the cold."

"Of course." He pulled me so we were hugging. My face in his chest and his head atop of mine. "Then stay for now and be warm?"

"Okay."

We stayed close together for the next hour, not talking at all, just drifting in and out of sleep. It felt like a lazy weekend where you slept all day in a warm bed. I was ready to wake and see Serenity at the door giggling, getting ready to tell me breakfast was ready, but it was late at night. I didn't sleep to the next day, just till night. It didn't matter though, not much did right now.

I started to wonder what Itachi's day was like. Was it painful or sad? When I asked him in the past he didn't prefer talking about his missions. They were either too gory or sad. He wasn't meant for this type of life and we both knew it. He was far too kind in the inside, always telling Kisame to spare as many as possible.

I wiggled away from his grip and stretched out my back. I needed to get up for a bit.

Itachi made a quiet groaning noise and took me by the waist, only to end up where I once was. His eyes were still closed, breathing still steady. It looked as if he were still asleep, except people don't sleep with a dorky smirk on their face.

"Itachi you dork, I have to get up now."

He didn't answer me, he just squeezed me tighter. I came to a conclusion that death by snuggle was a plausible outcome and a realistic death. If I stayed here much longer the outcome of that death would be even more likely. I wiggled, trying to free myself, but I was no match for his strength. So instead I poked his side and watched him jerk to the side. Most everyone was sensitive there, I do not know why though.

I rolled away from him and then to the side of the bed. With my victory I stood up and grinned. Indeed, one win for June Summers.

I walked around the bed and tapped his forehead. "I'm getting hungry," I whispered to him.

"Okay," he murmured, sitting up groggily. As he stretched and stood up I admired him. His hair was loose and shirt was baggy. Now that I looked at it the shirt was from our world. It was a screen print shirt of a king chess piece with the word "boss". It fit him nicely. I still remember when Serenity bought him that shirt last winter.

He stood up and looked as me. His eyes glancing from the top to the bottom and back. Without a word he poked my forehead and smirked. "Did you at least enjoy to company of my summon?"

"Crow? Yeah, he's an odd little bird, but I love him," I chuckled as I rubbing my forehead.

"Odd? What do you ever so mean?"

"Crow steals Ashton's socks all the time or doesn't grasp the concept that the mailman can't be attacked because he's behind glass," I explained, looking back fondly on those memories.

"He shouldn't do that," Itachi mutter to himself. Itachi shook off the thought and grabbed his hair tie to fashion it into a low ponytail before slowly drifting outside of his door. He waited for me to leave before closing his door quietly. "We must be quieter, Konan sleeps around this hour and we are not to wake her. Pein's orders."

"I know," I sighed softly. "You know why, right? And the others as well?"

He nodded. "Yes, she is to bear a child soon. Pein told us three months ago. He gave us specific instructions to be kind to her and if any harm was to come to her or the child there would be severe consequences." He then looked to the door down the hallway and grabbed my hand softly. His hand as so much warmer than mine, I never understood why he was always so warm. Maybe it was an Uchiha trait. "This is Kisame's room. He'd want to see you." Itachi knocked on the door lightly before it opened quickly. Kisame stood in the door way wearing his usual sharky grin.

"Awake already?" Kisame teased with a snicker. He then noticed me and grinned. "Hey kid," he greeted happily. I went up to him and hugged him lightly and his large arms wrapped around me in turn. He picked me off the ground with the hug and I started to kick my feet because I didn't want to be picked up at the moment. He set me down with a quiet chuckle.

"I'm happy to see you again," he laughed happily, he then ruffled my hair and pulled me back to his person. "You know, I'm surprised Itachi didn't scream when he saw you. For the past six months he's been groaning and moping about. "June, June, why did I leave you, my love?" he'd groan," Kisame teased as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I chuckled as well while Itachi was frowning deeply now.

"Kisame, I didn't say such things," Itachi said seriously.

"Oh sure, you're just acting cool because your girlfriend is here. I've known you ever since you were a kid Itachi. You can't lie to me," Kisame chuckled. He let go of me and I went back to Itachi's side, he grabbed my hand before glaring at Kisame.

"He's been so moody lately." Kisame shook his head with a disappointed sigh. For full teasing effect Kisame sighed another time, but this time even deeper. "Where did we go wrong?"

Itachi looked like he was considering murder as an option to stop his suffering but he refrained. Instead, he held me in his arms and glared at Kisame. I saw the glint of red in his eyes and lightly batted at his face. "Off. I don't want you in the hospital again. Save the sharingan for another time." I loved his beautiful ruby eyes but now I thought about Madara every time I saw red eyes. His sharingan was always on and it bothered me.

His onyx eyes were back in a second and he closed his eyes while leaning his head into mine. I sunk into the gesture and cherished this moment. I wished it could last forever. The only thing that could make this better was food. As if on cue my stomach rumbled loudly. I blushed and covered my stomach. "Sorry."

"Come on you crazy kids, let's get some food. I can tell you're starving. Isn't Serenity supposed to be feeding you?" Kisame teased before walking down the halls. He walked us to a kitchen with a large table fit for eight. I figured here the Akatsuki wouldn't eat together. The kitchen was larger than ours and nicer. I thought if Pein was the leader of a village he would want his organization to have the best facility, especially since they don't use it everyday.

Kisame tapped me on the head and held out a chair for me. "Is ramen okay?" he asked as I sat down. Kisame pushed me in like the gentleman he was and started to dig around in the cabinets. I told him ramen would be more than appreciated and he started to make four packaged ramen. As he dug through the cabinets I noticed several bags of candies. Gummy bears to be precise.

"What's with the gummies?" I asked, trying to hide my amusement.

Kisame threw a bag at me and I caught it. "Some of us," Kisame glanced at Itachi, "enjoy their sweets a bit too much that they take eight, jumbo bags of gummies. They'll last us another few months though, so I guess stealing gummy bears is okay then."

I looked to Itachi. "You really stole gummy bears?"

He looked away. "I do not know of the things you speak of. I would never."

"That's what he said when he went shopping with Ashton. You should see him casually bat food into the cart. He doesn't even set the item in the cart, he just swats at the items until it falls into the cart," Kisame explained, exasperated by Itachi's actions. I couldn't stop laughing now. Kisame was bantering Itachi so much today and I found it amusing in more than one ways.

I calmed from my laughter and settled for light wheezing. "He is really going at it today, hon," I sighed happily. Itachi nodded silently, his thumb running up and down my hand gingerly. We waited in silence again till Kisame set down a bowl of ramen for each of us. He handed me a fork while he and Itachi used chopsticks. I felt embarrassed because I struggled using chopsticks.

"So, may I ask how you came here?" Itachi asked as he blew lightly on his noodles.

I nodded. "Yeah, I might be awhile. I'm not so sure about it myself." So I explained to the two about Ashton's papers, the seals, and Crow. How the portal opened randomly and then how I threw up. I didn't say a word about Madara's proposition, Kisame didn't even know who Madara was. I felt guilty that I couldn't tell him, I trusted Kisame and Itachi as much as Ashton and Serenity.

Itachi nodded thoughtfully. "It was my summon. He opened the portal," Itachi concluded as he nodded.

"Crow really did that?" I questioned. I am sure if Crow is Itachi's summon he is very capable of doing any job Itachi tasks him with, but opening portals? I saw the bird as slightly clumsy and loud, yet intelligent. Not capable of opening gates to another world. "I left Crow to keep an eye on you, later he would report back to me. Since Pein didn't want us coming back, I thought there was no harm in checking on you."

"You're too sweet," I sighed lovingly as Itachi shook his head and looked away. The Uchiha never blushed or became flustered, but if he did, this would be his action for being flustered.

"Is anyone else coming soon?" I questioned as I slurped up a noodle.

"Only Pein, Konan, us and Sasori is here," Kisame clarified before he lifted his bowl and slurped the rest of his meal down. He then reached for the bag of gummies and snacked on that.

I almost spit out my food. "Sasori? Since when?" I questioned angrily. Why didn't my second least favorite redhead come say hello to me? I deserve to see him then pester him. I haven't had anybody to share my type of humor with for months. Ashton was the closest sarcastic companion I had at the time. "And he didn't even have the courtesy to greet me? What kind of friend is he supposed to be?"

"He's been here for the past four months, just in his room..." Kisame trailed off, his eyes looking at the table. "Pein told us he's working on his puppet vessel, we aren't to disturb him unless it is an emergency or very important. He should be done within the week but then he'll be very annoying. I'm going to warn you June, don't talk to Sasori when he comes out of that room. He's worse than a teenager fishing for compliments."

"Sounds terrible. What happened to Deidara then?"

"Deidara joins other teams, but right now he's handling missions on his own," Itachi added quietly before he finished his bowl of ramen. He took mine then Kisame's bowl and set them inside of the sink.

"All by himself? Don't tell Serenity that, she'll flip. It's hard to believe he's doing the missions with no help," I sighed, thinking of the blonde. He was so young. Serenity would die if she found out. The two of them were so close, it was painful to see Serenity after he left. Serenity regularly worried when he came home late from doing whatever. Usually he hung out with Sylvia and her friends.

"Speaking of Serenity, will her and Ashton be joining us?" Itachi questions as he set his hand on my shoulders.

"We should bring them here!" Kisame chimed, standing up from his seat to stand next to Itachi.

"Yeah, we should."

* * *

It was the third day of me being here and I could tell Ashton and Serenity were worried. They didn't know if I was fine or not. I was so worried for them, in turn they worried for me. To add to my stress Madara confronted me several times.

I thought about his deal long and hard. He even wrote me the terms and conditions. I read the papers over and over till I memorized them. There were no loop holes. I didn't want to betray him either, that would get Ashton and Serenity killed. The more I thought about it the more I wanted to reject his request, but then I thought of Ashton. What would she do? What would my unpredictable, sly Ashton do? She would take the deal and back stab him then figure out the rest as she goes.

Unlike me, Ashton is truly a good person at her heart. I am very selfish for being okay with sacrificing many lives in order to keep my friends safe. Ashton would take the risk in order to save hundreds, thousands of lives. Then as I thought of her I became more tempted to take the deal. Each jinchuriki he would collect I could warn, even if I failed I could take their bodies so he could not defile them. I could tell Konoha, they would help. I could take out Kabuto and not have the risk of the real Madara being found.

I could even bring Ashton and Serenity back here and they could help me. Ashton has a talent for being tricky and deceptive when she wanted. This talent I could not mimic, not even come close to mastering. But I could try, I would try.

So now I stand in a room alone with Madara. We are one of the top levels in his own office. We are standing five feet away from each other in silence. It's been one minutes and sixteen seconds since one of us last spoke. He broke the silence that I cherished with a introduction.

"I see you came to me."

I looked up at him, trying to calm any wild nerves. I bowed as if he was Pein, but the respect I showed was different than the respect I showed Pein. "No matter what we would have ended up here, at some point. Even if I hadn't come you would have come to me, so do not think of this as an accomplishment Madara."

He nodded. "Are you ready to accept my offer?"

"That's why I came, I will take the deal, but on one more condition. Serenity and Ashton will come here, they will be able to do whatever they please-"

"Within reason," Madara interrupted as he folded his arms.

"-and you will not harm either of them. If you harm either one I will end this deal. Also, touch Konan's child and deals off," I snapped harshly. Konan's child has the potential to change much of the timeline. Despite not being able to tell how yet.

Madara feigned a shocked gasp. "You think I would stoop so low I would harm their child? June, I am surprised you think of me so." He put a hand to his chest as if he was offended but we both knew he was being a sarcastic little piece of crap.

"I am serious! Touch the child and I will do worse than not aiding you," I snapped angrily. I composed myself with a deep breath and crossed my arms.

"Okay, I accept June," he held out his hand for me to shake, "I want you to swear on your late sisters name you will not betray me."

I swore mentally, Madara knew the power the dead had on the living and he was using it against me. Evergreen was someone in my life I respected, I gave her the most respect. I couldn't defile her name by betraying him. I thought for a moment, Madara would just have to break one of the conditions first, then I'd be free to do the same. He thinks I am on his side now. He knew I couldn't screw with any of his plans, but the more I thought who said Ashton couldn't?

"I, June Summers, swear on my dead sister's name, Evergreen, that I shall not betray you," I shook his hand but when he went to pull away I kept my grip, "now you swear on _her_ name."

Madara growled at me. "I swear on _her_ name, I shall not betray you." He let go of my hand with that and I smirked at him, maybe a bit too devilishly.

"Good, now that we have established that, I want Serenity and Ashton here, today," I demanded as I crossed my arms. I wanted my friends here, I needed to know they were fine.

"Today?"

"Today," I confirmed.

Madara nodded his head slowly. "Okay," he drawled, "I can arrange that. We can begin now if you would like. Let me contact Pein and we may commence as soon as he is ready. Meet me on the first level where you arrived. Will that suffice your needs?"

"For now."

So he teleported away and to Pein. I made my way to the first level. On my way down Itachi decided to follow me. I told him we were bringing Ashton and Serenity here. He seemed please that my friends were joining us, so he called Kisame to join us. Kisame followed us to the first level and Pein awaited us with Madara at his side. The room was lighted now with florescent lights that hung above.

Kisame groaned at the sight of Madara. "What is Tobi doing here?"

"Tobi is helping get Ashton and Serenity! Tobi thinks you'll need lots of chakra so Tobi is here to help!"

Kisame groaned once more before positioning himself at a certain seal. Itachi did the same as did Pein and Madara. "I'll open the gate," Kisame offered.

"Yes, after you Kisame. If needed Itachi will then provide his chakra then myself and if need be Tobi," Pein ordered as he held his hands together.

"How will we attract Ashton and Serenity to the gate?" Itachi asked. In turn I bit my thumb nail, that was a good question. Knowing the two of them they would be waiting for me, but who knows if they are in the room at the moment. I remember being able to see the Akatsuki while I was still in my world, but only through the portal. I theorized that only chakra could be seen through the portal. Since the seals could be a weak spot through the worlds that would make sense that chakra would bleed through.

"Could you guys see me?" I asked, still focusing on biting my nail.

"Yeah," Kisame answered, not catching onto my theory.

"I could see you all, but only when you crossed the seal. I have a theory that only chakra can be seen while on the seal because it is like a weak point between the worlds. If I stand here and make a few actions I should attract the two." As I stood in the middle of the seals I waved my hand. "Hello? I don't know if you guys can hear me."

Pein looked at me with a questioning look and I looked back at him. "Don't judge me. Maybe they can hear me," I snapped.

Pein rolled his eyes in turn but I continued to call for Ashton and Serenity. I told them what I was going to do, even if they couldn't hear me. I pointed to the seals on the floor then looked to Kisame. "Go ahead."

Blue exploded in my face and I marveled at the sheer power of the portal. It was beautiful.

"Hurry it up!" Kisame yelled as he braced himself. His hands were clasped together and his hair was whipping with the energy of the portal. He looked like he was struggling to keep concentrated, I didn't blame him. Chakra was a fickle thing.

I reached my hand through the portal and felt for something, anything. "We might have to try this more than once!" I yelled to Pein, but something touch my hand. I felt another hand wrap around mine and I smiled. This was Serenity's hand, no doubt about it. I tightened my grip around her and pulled back as hard as possible. She pulled back at my tug. "Come on Serenity," I snapped as I tried reaching for her again.

I waved my hand around and another hand grabbed my own. Ashton. Her hand was large and dry like usual, but it was warm. She pulled my hand to her cheek and held it their. I felt her cheek for a moment before grabbing onto the skin and tugging. She was coming here even if I had to drag her. She slapped my hand and I did the same in turn. I latched onto her wrist and tugged even harder. There was a pause before I saw her hand come through the portal as well.

She was launching herself through the portal now and I let go of her hand to cover my face. She was going to crash into me and that would not be fun. I scrunched my eyes shut, accidently falling in the processes. I braced myself for Ashton to ram into me.

But it never came.

I waited in shock for Ashton and Serenity to barrel onto me. "Ashton, Serenity?" I questioned as I patted the ground for them. The blue portal closed and no one came through. "What happened!" I yelled, whipping my head to Tobi. I stood up and marched up to the masked man and grab him by the collar of his shirt. "Where are they? You said Ashton and Serenity would be with me! You promised!"

Madara pushed me off of him and cried out idiotically. "Wah! Why would you hurt Tobi?"

"You said you could get Ashton and Serenity here today!" I yelled as I readied myself to hit him. Itachi ran to my side and wrapped his arms around his waist, trying to restrain me.

"June!" Pein barked. "Stand down! You need to calm yourself."

I glared at Pein and tried pushing Itachi off of me. "June," he murmured, "you need to calm yourself. Ashton and Serenity are fine. I know they are, you know as well."

I relaxed in his grip and hugged him instead. Itachi in turn wrapped his arms around me. He gently held me while patting my back. "They're supposed to be here. I need them here. What if they're not safe? What if they're not safe! They could be anywhere!"

Itachi gripped me tighter. "Ashton and Serenity are fine. I know they are. You need to breath before we can talk about a solution. You're getting too worked up."

I felt another hand on my back and it was Kisame. He was panting and sweating but he was smiling down at me anyways. "It's fine kid. I felt them come through the portal," he caught his breath before continuing, "you really took your time, you know that?"

Itachi let go of me and stood at Kisame's side to keep him from falling. "You pushed yourself too far," Itachi scolded lightly while Kisame wrapped his arm around Itachi.

"Give me a moment," Kisame huffed as he pushed away from Itachi. "I could have gone for longer Itachi. I've used more chakra than this before, so let me go."

Itachi nodded and let Kisame balance by himself. Itachi returned to holding me instead. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face into his shoulder. Where were they? Where were Ashton and Serenity? "You can find them? Right? Please find them for me."

Itachi sighed. "You know I cannot deny you of such a request. I will send out my summons at once. I will also get Sasori to use his spy network to find Ashton and Serenity as well. I am sure Konan would be more than willing to help as well."

Pein walked up to us. "Do not except Konan to strain herself. I am sure she will help but do not except for her to push herself too far. As for Sasori I will get him to use his network. I will also call the other members out to the base right away."

"Thank you."

* * *

 **Yaaay, June has a minor mental crisis and gets disappointed. Anyways next chapter will be Ashton's then Serenity's. Tell me if you want just a consecutive cycle of Ashton's or Serenity's POV.**

 **Fun Fact- Ashton's favorite characters, excluding Akatsuki, are Madara, Hashirama, Kiba, Zabuza, Sasuke, and Kakashi. Her least favorite characters are Ino, Kabuto, Kankuro, and Karin. If she had to pick her least favorite it'd be Kabuto. It's mostly because her brothers didn't like him.**

 **A- Nachos are everything**

 **Q- What job do you want?**

 **Thank you for reading! Till next time!**


	7. When to be chased

Ashton's POV

I've been staring outside for the last ten minutes. I don't know why the outside has captured my attention for so long, but it did. Maybe because when I opened the window I could breathe so much easier than at home or the fact some of the people walking in and out of this building wore green vests. Green vests with a red swirl that adorned the back of their jackets and blue pants. Some with scars on their face and others with swords on their back.

My attention was focused on a particular man sitting outside on the bench. It was cold and the air nipped at my overheated cheeks, but the man seemed warm with his mask and scarf touching the bridge of his nose. His bright orange book was almost touching his nose, which I questioned because how could he see that close up? Either he had great vision or I had crappy vision, both choices were believable.

Kakashi Hatake.

The man had to be Kakashi. The hair, the mask, the covered eye and perverted book he was reading. There was no other good explanation. I was either in a hospital for cosplayers or this was the real thing. I was in the Akatsuki's world.

By the way this pissed me off because SOMEONE STOLE MY HAT! You would think shinobi from Konoha (I'm guessing that's where I am) would be upright and leave the woman her hat when she woke. My last words before I passed out was for someone to get my hat! Those could've been my very last words! I could have died telling someone to get my hat! Do you understand why I am angry!

So for the pass ten minutes I have been angrily observing my surroundings. My plan was to get the thought-to-be-Kakashi to look at me. I was seriously contemplating throwing something at him. I had an I.V stand, a fluid package, a few pillows, a box of tissues and if I was really determined I could try to push the whole bed out of the window. Can you imagine that? You're reading and all of a sudden a bed crashes next to you? Though, I am not the brightest as some of you have learned and I realized that the whole bed would not fit through this window. Maybe the mattress but not the whole bed. This disappointed me because I'd have issues reaching his attention.

I reached besides me and grabbed the tissue box. I dropped it out of my window and it land directly on his book. I pulled back and snickered to myself. He'll have to come up here now and I can see if it really is Kakashi. If it was, I just wanted a look at him. I didn't feel talkative at the moment.

I heard the door slide open but I ignored whoever. I didn't want to talk. I know it was rude to ignore another human, but I needed some time to myself to mourn my hat and figure out what to do next. I needed to get to the rest of the Akatsuki. They can help me, then we can go find June. I didn't know how I was going to do that? The only source of interest for them would be a tailed beast. I thought about unleashing the kyuubi- Kurama, he has a name. Need to remember that.

"Excuse me, patient 213B? It's nice to see you're awake! I'll be your doctor..."

I tuned out. The woman speaking wasn't important right now. I needed some more time to think. I didn't want to get caught in a hospital and every staff to find out I have no identity or past here. It'd be even worse to have anyone find out I'm not from here. I need an escape and the window looks very appealing. I leaned out of the window to see the drop. I'd sure break a leg, but there was a drain pipe leading to the ground.

I started to climb out of the window and crouch on the window still, ready to spring at the drain pipe. I really would have made it, honestly, but the doctor grabbed me before I could jump. She frantically ripped me from the window and threw me to the ground with surprising strength. I struggle out of her grasp, not wanting to be touched. I was a bit temperamental at the moment.

"Patient 213B! Please don't jump out the window!" she screamed as she kept me pinned to the ground.

"My. Name. Is. Ashton," I snapped out. "Ashton Coal!" I didn't like it when people didn't even try using my name! It made me even angrier when they pinned me to the ground, but I complied with her actions and laid. I laid still, getting a good look at her. She had short black hair and round black eyes. Fair skin, average build, average height and she was Shizune might I add.

I pushed her off of me and stood up. Unfortunately I stood a little too fast and I saw black for a moment and my head was fuzzy. Shizune helped me keep my balance before walking me over to the bed. She sat me down and felt me head. "Well, Ashton, may I ask why you were trying to jump out of the window? Please tell me you weren't trying to-"

"Of course not, I'm too busy to be trying to end my life. I got things to do, places to see and I gotta do that right now. So if you'll excuuuuuse me I'll be on my way." I pushed her away before heading to the door.

"Ashton, please wait. I have a few questions for-"

"I.V NO JUTSU!" I screamed as I flung the I.V pole at her. She covered her face with her arms and I dashed out of the room before she could recover. I slammed the door behind me then sprinted down the hallway. I looked around to see doctors, nurses, and other patients looking at me as I ran away. Maybe they thought I escaped from the mental ward.

"Ashton!" Shizune called as she ran after me. As she was about to reach me I turned to corner to see people loading an elevator. I slipped in and as the doors closed on Shizune she received a very rude gesture.

The doors came to a close and I realized she would be on the next floor waiting. I looked around at the people in the elevator, they were all civilians I assumed. I didn't want everyone in this elevator to hate me but... I pressed all the buttons on the elevator and several people groaned as they watched me. I received some very rude comments at this.

"Oh! Don't get so worked up! You're not the ones running from the mental ward!" I yelled sarcastically. Apparently no one took it as a joke.

I could see why they were nervous now. I was a head taller than most everyone in the elevator and said I just escaped the mental ward. To add to the effect the P.A system kicked on and Shizune's voice called out saying, "Coal Ashton, patient 213B has gone missing. She was last seen on the tenth floor at 9:07 a.m. She is about 6'0, black hair and wearing a hospital gown and pants. If seen, please report her back to her room."

Everyone in the elevator gave me a nervous glance and I shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry guys."

The elevator opened and everyone rushed out, leaving me by my lonesome. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I closed the elevator and waited. Shizune would think I would go out with all of the people to blend in. It's better if I avoid crowds for now.

The doors opened once more and I raced out. I was not on the eighth floor, still high up. I ran into the closest room, it was a patient's room. No one was here though, which was a win in my case. I closed the door behind me and dragged the bed so it was against the door. Soon after I opened the window and looked down. The thought-to-be-Kakashi was gone sadly.

I was sad for a moment before remembering I had to get out of here. I crouched on the windowsill before jumping for the drain pipe. I gripped onto it tightly, regretting my decision. I've never done this before, I tried not to not look down but I couldn't help myself. I bit my lip at the height but continued traveling down the pipe. I was surprised it held onto my weight, buildings in this world must be built stronger than they were in mine.

My fingers dug into the sides of the pipes and my bare feet tried to find any grooves.

After what seemed to be forever of climbing down I set foot onto the ground. "Take that dorks!" I yelled before dashing off. I was about fifty feet away from the hosptail before Shizune and two others burst through the hospital doors. "That's her!" Shizune yelled strictly before running after me.

And let me tell you, ninja speed is horrifying.

Like death kinda scary.

Without any thought I started sprinting faster and into the nearest hoard of people. I don't know how I was able to dodge any head on meeting with Shizune and her other two friends but my escape lead me to a market of sorts. Restaurants, venders, clothing racks and other stores lined the streets. I crashed into innocent bystanders as I ran from my pursuers. Once again I received some very rude comments as I ran. I felt bad because I knocked over some woman's basket of food. She looked like she was out all day to get the best deals.

"I'm sorry lady!" I called back to her. She didn't hear me or ignored me, either way she was picking up her food.

As soon as I called out Shizune's voice rang out. "I heard her! Over here!"

I sharply turned into the nearest booth, letting the curtains smack me in the face. I pressed my back against the wall. I listened to them pass me as they chatted among each others feverishly. "I thought she was a civilian," I heard, or, "You said she rolled her ankle, she shouldn't be able to run like that!" and my personal favorite "That hag! I could be having my break!"

I let a soft chuckle escape my lips and wiped my sweaty forehead. Once I calmed I could look around. The first thought that hit me was the fact this place smelled delicious and I was starving! The whole place smelt like... ramen... mmmm.

My mouth started to water at the smell and then at the sight of ramen being made. The man behind the counter turned around to reveal a happy smile. "Hello! May I get you anything?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Nah, I just need a quick stop to rest. I left my money back at my last stop," I chuckled as I sat down at one of the stools.

"By the looks of it I'm guessing your last stop was the hospital," he chuckled as he pointed to my clothes with a wooden spoon.

I couldn't help but blush. "Well you know how it is, I just hate the hospital. Plus, I don't want to bother them, they have enough patients." I looked around one more time. The interior was nice. This little restaurant had a homey kind of feeling to it. "By the way, this is Konoha. Just checking."

The ramen man nodded his head. "Yes, you are in Konoha. What brings you to our great village?"

I felt bad lying to the man but he would never believe me. "You know, travels. I really like to see new places and Konoha was next on my list. Plus, I'm trying to find a friend of mine. The bluest eyes you've ever seen and really blond hair. Short too and kinda has a round nose, like a button. Wears a lot of jackets," I described as I made gestures to help further explain June to the man.

The man laughed. "You just described my best customer. No, I haven't seen him, Naruto has been gone for awhile now."

I cocked my head to the side. "No, not a he, she! My friend in female. 5'2 and always looks bored. Her eyes are like always half open because she's so bored... well when she's alone anyways."

"Oh! Pardon me! No, I haven't seen your friend. I'll keep an eye out from them though, does that sound good?" he asked as he set his spoon down and rested his hands on the counter.

"Yeah, thanks. I haven't been able to find her. She just 'poofed'. You know?" I sighed as I sunk into my arms. I suddenly felt very sad, I missed June very much. I knew she was safe but she could be feeling lonely. I only hoped Serenity found her. Then they could come find me, but they needed to be fine first.

Teuchi turned his attention behind me and his smiled widened. "Hello Kakashi-san! How has your day been?"

I whipped around to see the silver haired jonnin and just about died. That was actually him, I could be screwed! All he had to do was take one good look at me and he'd know I knew Obito or Itachi or Kisame! I don't know how he'd know, but I just know he'd know, ya know?

"Hello Teuchi-san. I've had a rather pleasant day. Well, except for a half hour ago. Somebody from one of the hospital rooms dropped a tissue box on my book. It even bent one of the pages," he sighed as he shook his head. Kakashi then looked to me and crinkled his eye. I understood why it was an eye smile now.

"Hello, who might you be? I've never seen you around," he asked politely. Kakashi sat down next to me and I let me shoulders relax. When need be acting is my forte. Nothing is different except for the situation.

I relaxed my body and rested my chin on my hand to look at him. "Traveling. Konoha was the next destination on my list of many places to visit. I'm also looking for a friend of mine. Short, always looks bored, long blond hair, blue eyes. Maybe you've seen her around?" I chimed casually. I slumped into my chair and sighed. "Her name is June, June Summers and I miss her a lot. So if you see her just tell me." The best lies have little bit of the truth in it. Anyone who has ever told a believable lie has just revealed something critical and no one will ever find out what it is unless told.

"You two must be very close."

"The closest."

"Then I'll keep an eye out for her," Kakashi stated as he nodded his head. He then perked, "I never received your name."

"Oh, I'm Ashton. Ashton the traveler! I just came from Sunagakure! I had to walk more then three days, can you believe that? Have you ever been to Suna?" I questioned, now truly invested in his answer. I knew he's been to Suna before just not how many times.

"I've been to Suna many times, the village is now one of our allies so the Hokage often has me run to Suna to deliver a message or two," he answered as he smiled again. "By the way, I must say you are an excellent liar patient 213B. If it weren't for the hospital gown, your name and the fact you're taller than me then I would have let you by."

Curse my height!

I knew when to give up a lie before I made matters worse, so I brought my hands to my head and sighed. "You caught me. Though please call me by my name, Ashton." I stood up and looked to Teuchi. "I'm sorry you have to see this. I really liked you too, I hope you can forgive me," I said sincerely. Teuchi quirked his eyebrow and was about to ask why.

Before I could answer I grabbed his stole and used it as a bat to bash Kakashi in the face. "CHAIR NO JUTSU!" I yelled as loudly as I could. Much like Shizune he fell deceptible to me superior jutsu. I sprinted out of the booth and turned sharply to the right. This turn took me into a narrow alley full of crates. I had to be careful not to trip or I'll make too much noise then alert Kakashi. He'd probably think, like Shizune I ran into the crowd.

I thought I knew what Kakashi was thinking but apparently not. He ran out of the booth and saw me right away. "Leave me alone!" I cried out hysterically as I burst through the alley way and into two other men. My other pursuers. Shizune was standing behind them with her arms crossed and a unamused look. I became angry at this but knew I could no longer win. I knelt down slowly and put my hands behind my head.

"Fight me woman. I'll fight you any day Shizune!"

She walked up to me and frowned. "We are taking you back to the hospital Ashton."

I felt like I was kneeling for a cop, ready to have my hands cuffed then pushed into the back of a cop car, but instead Dumb and Dumber grabbed my arms from behind and hoisted me up. This is officially worse then handcuffs! Ow! ow! Ow! They're gripping too tight.

"Help! I'm being arrested for no reason! I just want to go home and find my friend!" I screamed to the other civilians in the area. If I'm losing I'm taking them down with me. "Let me go! I don't want to be tortured! I have a family! Please! June couldn't live without me! She's so young and she needs me! Please don't take me back to T and I. Not again!"

By now some civilians were whispering and for once I wanted housewives to gossip to each other. I can see it now, young women arrested for nothing and taken to T and I. I mentally grinned but physically I was trying to make myself cry then turn red in the face. I was planning to make a scene the whole way and each time Dumb or Dumber tried to cover my mouth I'd shout, "The people deserve to know the truth!"

I know, it was a low blow.

The men and Shizune dragged me all the way back to the hospital and on the tenth floor. There I was promptly tossed onto a chair and forcibly restrained by handcuffs now. I stuck my nose in the air and rested my hands on my lap. Dumb and Dumber were currently working on tying my feet to the chair. "Can you two idiots get off of me? I don't know where you've been!"

Shizune rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Ashton, please cooperate with us."

"What do you want?" I snapped harshly.

Her eyes soften and she came closer to me. "We want to help you but in order to help you we need some answers."

At the sight of her big, round, soft eyes I thought of Serenity and couldn't help but calm down. "Okay, okay. Just a few, but then I want something to eat. I'm starving."

"Okay, I'd like you to answer the following questions if that is okay with you. What is your name, where your from, what is your age, the last thing you remember and why you ran," she listed slowly as if I were a child. She pulled up a chair and sat across from me.

"I'm Ashton Coal and I'm from Wisconsin, it's in American," I spoke honestly. I was using a softer tone because she used a soft tone on me and I was willing to be nicer to her. Not anyone else. Especially Dumb and Dumber. "I'm twenty-four and the last thing I remember before waking up here is being stuck in a tree then asking for someone to grab my hat. I ran away because," I looked down, almost in guilt, "I don't wanna talk about that."

"Okay then," she muttered as she was handed a pencil and clipboard by Dumber. She jotted down what I just said then looked up. "Where is your home land?"

"In America, the land of the free," I stated proudly. I liked to think there was an American flag behind me and a bald eagle flying in the distance but that was only wishful thinking.

"Where is America? How would you get there from here?" she asked as she lightly chewed on the end of her pencil.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. I really didn't know how to get home from here. Maybe a jutsu or chakra. Shizune gave me 'the look' and I shook my head frantically. "I'm not lying. I really don't know! I just ended up in a tree and I don't know how! I'm honest!" I yelled, angry that she didn't believe me. I started thrashing in my seat and yelling curses I don't remember.

"I don't know what's going on and I'm lost and alone! I am just looking for my friend so let me go!" I yelled as I thrashed.

Shizune watched me calmly and for some reason that made me angrier. She should be yelling too! Not standing by and letting Dumb and Dumber try to calm me. Her intent look reminded me of June but this was worse. June didn't look interested, June hid what she was doing, but Shizune, oh- I knew what she was doing. She was letting me rage so I'd spill more information and it was working.

"I just want to find June and leave! Find a way back home! I need to get to Ame or even somewhere near there. I sure she's close there! I know!" I cried out.

"Who is June?" she asked, reading her pencil to write.

I felt better at this. June could calm me down so why wouldn't talking about her? "June is my friend. I've known her for more than twenty years. She's short and has blond hair and the bluest eyes you will ever see. She is incredibly smart, smarter than almost everyone but nobody pays attention to her because of how quiet she is. Everyone sees her as some nurse they can order. June likes wearing jackets and sweaters too big for her because she is always cold. She's scary when angry and likes to count time! If she was here she could say how long I've been in this chair down to the second, exactly."

Shizune wrote everything down and I was finally breathing normally. She went to talk again but she was interrupted by the door opening.


	8. When to meet another blonde

Serenity's POV

As I said that night I watched funny cat videos and ate to my hearts content. I told the man behind the counter that Jiraiya was paying for, so the man behind the counter kept adding the payment to Jiraiya's tab. I sat at the bar eating dango, watching cat videos and occasionally letting a few frustrated tears slip. Unlike June, I did not have the ability to form my emotions into an unhealthy ball of sadness and never let it out. The only time June cried was when she talked about her sister and was injured. Then there was me. I cried at the end of Toy Story 3, Bambi, and character deaths in Naruto.

Speaking of Naruto.

The blonde came to me I bumped into him. We introduced ourselves properly and at the moment we were watching cat videos on my phone. He sat next to me on one of the stools and ate a stick of dango once in awhile. The boy was nice company because of how cheery he was.

"I don't really like cats," he squinted his eyes and looked at my phone, "but these are pretty funny."

I laughed. "Why don't you like cats?"

"When I was younger I had a few bad run ins with the same cat. I had to catch that thing eight times and I got scratched up each time!" he yelled as he pumped one fist in the air angrily.

"That's too bad, cats are my favorite animal," I laughed as I paused the video. Even though I never own a cat in my life felines were always my favorite animal. So elegant and graceful but at the same time curious and clumsy. I always wanted a cat but Nico was allergic to them and June didn't allow a pet, especially with the Akatsuki in the house. Ashton owned a cat, but I think her brother accidently killed it.

The video paused just as a cat was about to push another cat don the stairs. "Hey Naruto, how old are you?" I questioned, turning to him.

"I'm thirteen, why?" he asked as he munched happily on a ball of dango.

I waved my hand dismissively. "I was curious. I'm twenty-three."

Naruto nodded his head then smiled. "Hey Serenity, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything?"

"Why were you fighting with my sensei? You seem like a pretty good guy- er girl," he questioned, turning away from the video and taking out one earbud.

I did the same and gave him a small smile. "I don't want to bother you, but if you must know your sensei doesn't trust me. I was just frustrated with him because I told him about my troubles and situation, yet he didn't believe me. That's all, don't worry about it. I promise I'm not bad. I swear it on my family's name," I vowed as I dipped my head. Naruto was a person I couldn't afford to betray or make angry. He could destroy mountains in a few years. Plus, the boy was too sweet and he reminded me of Deidara. If the two met on better terms I'm sure they'd get along.

Naruto was about to speak but I interrupted him. "You know, I have a friend who's like a kid brother to me and you remind me of him. He has blond hair and blue eyes. He's also really strong! He can basically blow up mountain."

"What! Really! What's his name?" Naruto asked, excited that I likened him to some one who is powerful. He's just too cute.

I debated telling Naruto his name or not. If I remember correctly Jiraiya didn't know Deidara was in the Akatsuki till after Gaara was captured and Deidara wasn't an uncommon name. "His name is Deidara. He likes art a lot! You should see him ramble on. His dream is to become a great artist and spread his ideals."

"That sounds cool and all but I think my dream is better," Naruto waved his hands and turned his head to the ceiling, "I don't mean to brag but I'm going to be Hokage one day!"

"Hokage? That's a big dream, but if you're anything like my Deidara you'll be Hokage. Don't worry Naruto, I know you're going to be Hokage someday. It's just a matter of time anyways." I gave him a grin, the boy needed all of the encouragement he could get. The next few years are going to be so hard for him. He'll loose friends, family, even his village. He'll have to face off almost every Akatsuki member...

...he'll have to face off almost every Akatsuki member and kill them... All of the Akatsuki ends up dying to Naruto or his friends! How could I forget something like this! Naruto straight up murders Kakuzu and hunts down Deidara, my boy will loose his arm! Kisame freakin' commits suicide! Have of the Akatsuki commit suicide because of Konoha!

I can change things though. It sounds manipulative but I need to befriend Naruto, he'll see my has a friend and only God knows how far he'll go for a friend. I can convince him to not kill the Akatsuki, but Pein won't back down in return. Pein will want something, like a tailed beats, Kurama. Even if I convinced Naruto not to kill any of the Akatsuki what about Sakura, Kakashi, or Sasuke. Sasuke wants nothing more than to kill Itachi.

"You really think so Serenity? You really believe I'm going to become Hokage someday!" he yelled as he stood up on his knees while he was still on the stool. His hands were gripping the side of the table and he was staring at me with the brightest smile and I could almost see stars radiating off of the boy.

"I know so," I assured. I looked to the man behind the counter to see him glaring at the young blonde. The man probably was upset that Naruto was getting his grubby hands all over his clean counter. "Hey Naruto, you might wanna sit down though. The way the bartender is glaring at you, you might not become Hokage."

The boy looked up, oblivious at first until he noticed the man behind the counter glaring. He then blushed and sat back down. "Sorry!" he called while rubbing the back of his head.

I looked outside the window to see the dark night becoming lighter and lighter with the sun's rise. I then looked to Naruto and was reminded of Deidara again. I wondered what he was doing right now. Maybe he was making his art and Sasori was scolding him or maybe he was sleeping in his bed and snoring lightly because he had a long day.

"You should be getting to bed right now, I'm sure you have a lot of training tomorrow," I suggested as I stood up from my stole.

Naruto stood up as well and stretched his arm. He then covered a yawn all while trying to look as if he weren't tired. "How'd you know I had training tomorrow?" He covered his mouth as another yawned escaped.

I tapped his headband. "You're a shinobi who espiers to be Hokage, of course you have to train. So go up stairs, I don't want to hear any complaints. I'll see you tomorrow."

The boy nodded his head and waved goodbye to me before running upstairs to bed. I waved back to him but he was already up the stairs. He was too sweet, too sweet for being alone for all his childhood. The blonde didn't even know me and yet he came downstairs to cheer me up and listen to my stifled cries. Naruto was really something.

The man behind the counter slowly approached me and leaned over the counter. Now that I looked at him he looked much older than I originally thought. He wore a grey mustache and smudged glasses. His face was full of wrinkles yet he looked very knowing. Like he's seen and heard things over his many years that no man would want to witness. Yet this man still looked if he could throw the burliest of men out of his bar.

"I assume you are Ms. Serenity?" he asked lowly, as if he was hiding his voice from anyone in the room.

"Yessir and who might you be?" I asked politely, I dipped my head trying to be as respectful as possible.

"You may receive an answer if you answer a few questions of mine correctly."

I stood up from my seat and took a hesitant step back. "That sounds awfully suspicious, dude. How do I know you aren't gonna hurt me if I answer something wrong?"

The man bowed his head. "I apologize for being so blunt but my master requests this of me. I can guarantee I will not harm you in any way if you answer incorrectly. Now, will you let me ask?"

I hesitantly sat back down and nodded. "You may."

He rested his elbows on the counter top and held up three fingers. "I have three simple questions for you. What are the names of your closest companions, where are you from and do you know anything about art?"

Those are awfully vague and oddly specific questions sir. You are concerning me.

"I have to roommates named June and Ashton. By the way, they're both missing! June kinda looks like the boy who was just here. Really blond hair almost yellow. She has blue eyes and wears sweaters because she is always cold. She looks bored all the time is real short, five foot. Ashton is really tall and looks like she'll punch you in the face but she's actually really nice. Short black hair and white skin. Okay, secondly, I come from the Land of the Free, America! And art..."

I settled myself in my chair. "Do you have a minute sir? I hate to be rude but I am about to teach you something. You see, art is movement, something that will last for a second but keep continuing forever! Till the end of time! Art can't be eternal because what's the use of eternity when nothing changes. Change is what keeps us happy and life interesting! But at the time what is the point of something that is fleeting with change. That's why art is movement. Constantly moving in fleeting movement but lasting forever through the culture of people !That's why art is movement, like a dance!" I explained as I threw my hands into the air for effect.

The man behind the counter raised an eyebrow before nodding. "You have passed, an as your reward I am under the service of Master Akasuna Sasori. I am sure you are well acquainted with him. My master has been looking for you. I will notify you of your whereabouts immediately."

"Danna's been looking for me!" I screeched happily. I pumped my fist in the air and spun around in my chair happily. I knew the Akatsuki would find me! I knew it!

"Can I say hi to him? Is he going to be here soon or is he coming tomorrow? Is Deidara coming with him? Please tell me!" I begged as I bounced up and down in my seat. The anticipation was figuratively killing me and I couldn't wait.

The man behind the counter reached into a drawer and pulled out a scroll with a writing utensil. "Here you are Ms. Serenity, you may write whatever you like to him, but please leave some space for me to write a report."

I nodded happily and made a 'gimme' motion towards the scroll. "Thank you!"

 _Hello Danna! Thank you for looking for me! I can't believe you found me so quickly! I would like you to come and get me soon. I missed you so much and I can't wait to see you, but the other reason I'd like you to hurry is I am afraid Jiraiya of the Sannin is very skeptical of me. He's not going to hurt me or anything, he's just... Anyways, I made a new friend and you should bring Deidara because they need to meet, seriously. Also, June and Ashton are missing too, so make sure they are your first priority and not me. Love, Serenity S._

 _P.S Make sure Deidara gets to bed at a decent time._

I handed the scroll back to the man behind the counter and grinned. "Thank you! I will be sure to tell Sasori that he is to promote you."

The man nodded. "Thank you Ms. Serenity, but that will not be necessary. I have one more question for you; are you in any immediate danger. Master Sasori has asked of me to protect you."

I awed at this. "Sasori really said that? Shucks, well now I feel flattered. Nah, Jiraiya won't hurt me and even if he does I have a trick or two up my sleeve that will keep him from hurting me. Thank you though, by the way, can I get some more dango?"

He nodded and took my empty plate. "I am guessing I add this to Jiraiya's tab?"

I shot him two finger gun and clicked my tongue. "You know it."

* * *

I recommend not eating dango all night then watching cat videos for the rest of that night. Your sever lack of sleep will be accompanied by a stomach ache.

I was woke by Jiraiya around 11:00 in the morning. He was shaking me lightly as I was passed out on the bar's counter. I woke up a bit startled at first. I wiped my cheek for any drool that escaped my mouth while I slept and patted down my messy hair. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this," I apologized quietly as I tried untangling my hair. I was still groggy and tired as I rushed to look decent but the Sage didn't seem to mind.

Jiraiya chuckled. "Don't feel bad."

I looked at him and yawned before stretching my arms. "I cannot believe I fell asleep here. I am so sorry." My back popped as I stretched and then my neck. "Owie," I whined, "never sleeping like that ever again."

I looked out the window to see the sun shining brightly, making any dust in the room seem to glisten. I suddenly had the urge to clean this place, but this wasn't my home so resisted. I looked back to Jiraiya and sighed.

"I'm really sorry for last night, but I'm not all at fault here, I hope you know that. It has been very hard for me. I am in a place that is not my home and my friends are missing. I think you can see why I was snappy but that doesn't excuse my outburst. So I'm sorry."

Jiraiya nodded, taking my apology but he didn't apologize back like I expected. Considering this man is supposed to be a wise old sage that influences the greatest child in history you think he would apologize, but no.

"Tell me how you knew Naruto's name," he demanded, sitting down next to me.

"Not with that attitude."

The sage sighed loudly and sat down next to me. I turned away from him then crossed my arms. Don't get me wrong, Jiraiya was always one of my favorite characters, but here, they are _real._

Breathing, living people with hopes and ambitions like me. They weren't some flat 2-D characters I could laugh at. Jiraiya thought for himself and wasn't controlled by others and that was a scary thought. He was a capable man with connections. He could get me to talk.

"I don't want to do this the hard way," he said seriously.

"What are you going to do? Turn me into a frog?"

Oops.

My phone buzzed and I grabbed it. Maybe it was a message from June or Ashton! Maybe they were trying to call me! Maybe they were safe! I had so much hope in that moment but when I looked at my phone my hope was destroyed. 10% battery.

I needed my phone encase they tried calling me. I needed my phone, it was some sort of safe, familiar feeling. I turned around and gave him a desperate look. I wish I didn't because now he knew something was wrong. "I'll answer your question if I can find some sort of outlet or place to charge my phone."

The man cocked his head to the side before making an "ahh" sound in realization. He gave me a devilish grin before crossing his hands behind his head. "I could but I would need some type of persuasion. Like certain information I want. To bad there is not any outlets in this place, that would be useful right about now."

"You-you terrible man!" I yelled as I stood up from my seat and stomped my foot. "You really think I would just tell you nything and risk my life for a charged phone?"

"Yes?"

"You are sadly totally right."

I crossed my arms and pouted. "Just fix it, here is my charger," I handed him my charger, "It charges by electricity and for every forty numbers it charges I will answer a question."

"Twenty."

"Thirty-five."

"Twenty-five."

"Thirty."

"Okay," he said irritably, "thirty it is." He flipped my phone over and looked where to charge it. Seeing as he was oblivious on how to work such technology I plugged it in for him. He then held the end of the charger and closed his eyes.

"Don't fry it," I whispered as I watched him intently.

He nodded before my phone buzzed twice and it began to charge. "Yes!" I cheered as I pumped my fist. "Thank you God, Kami, Jashin or whoever!" I squealed before taking my phone in my hand. It was charging much faster than usual. Chakra must have its perks.

He still held onto the end of the charger. "I have three questions and you will answer them all."

I nodded. "I will try. I can't make any promises."

"That wasn't the deal!" he yelled, making a sharp motion towards me.

I flinched back and held my arm up in a defensive position. He saw my worried look and calmed down. "I'm sorry, but you have to understand there are things I cannot answer fully," I whispered. I looked around for the man behind the counter, he was my main concern. If he worked for Sasori he would have to be perspective or dangerous in some way. He couldn't hear me or he'll tell Sasori and I don't want Danna thinking that I am betraying them.

The man behind the counter appeared from the bar's back door and looked to me. I smiled and waved happily, feigning my joy to see him. He looked to me and gave me a faint smile.

"Ah, well Jiraiya. I think I need to change my clothes. Can you escort me to your room where I'll have some privacy?" I asked, looking intently at Jiraiya, hoping he'd get the message.

Jiraiya gave me a confused looked but nodded in understanding after I glanced at the bartender. He slowly got up from his seat. "Very well, follow me," Jiraiya announced as he walked to the stairs.

"Ms. Serenity, are you all right?"

I looked behind me to see the bartender next to me. He looked as is he was going to grab my shoulder but restrained himself. I flashed him a smile in turn. "I'm good, thank you for asking. I gotta go though, I'll see you." I waved him off and ran after Jiraiya. I caught up to him and he lead me to his room. I felt weary coming here again. I didn't want him trapping me here.

I entered the room and noticed it was much cleaner than yesterday. For a moment I thought Jiraiya cleaned the room but all of the clothes were shoved into the corner.

He sat down at a small table and patted for me to sit as well. I sat down and crossed my legs, hands resting on the table.

"What was that about?"

"The guy behind the counter, he's nice but I didn't want to talk in front of him," I said truthfully.

Jiraiya nodded, my phone and charger in his hand. "Three questions," he breathed slowly. He made a face that showed he was thinking but I doubted he was really thinking of them. He knew what he wanted. "How did you know Naruto's name?"

I breathed out slowly. "Jiraiya, you have to understand a few things before I answer this. I come from a very different place than you and my norms may be strange for you. Secondly, you need to understand I cannot tell you all because I would be betraying my loved ones. Lastly, where I come from there are no ninja or shinobi. Okay?" He nodded. "I know things due to common knowledge in my world- home..."

"Did you just say world?" he repeated, his mouth slowly hanging open.

"You only have two more questions!" I yelled, covering my cheeks because I was embarrassed that I revealed such critical information. I couldn't tell him I came from another world. I don't want anybody reaching my home and messing it up. Secondly, I do not know if he can take the truth.

"I know Naruto because of how important he is," I lied, trying to keep a cool expression. "Where I come from Naruto is talked about in stories. His life is told throughout this. I know his life and other people who he interacts with. I know how important he'll become."

"So like future vision?"

"No it's-" Was this future vision or some kind of insight. I could tell Jiraiya he dies. I could tell him what happens many years from now. "I guess? Kinda? I don't know, don't look too much into it. It's not that important, second question."

"Are you here to harm us or are you a spy?"

"No! Never! I would never dream of harming you or Naruto! Naruto is a sweet boy with dreams of becoming Hokage who loves watering his plants and being with his friends! He is just too pure to be harmed! Have you looked at his face? That is the face of joy, I don't know about you but if I could I would adopt that boy asap. No, I am not a spy either, if I were I'd be a pretty crappy spy."

"I'm not sure you're telling me the truth." He rubbed his chin almost comically. "How 'bout while I decide that I tell you about Konoha? Like the cities, the people, the lay out?"

"A bit random, but okay."

"A spy would want to know something like that!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger towards me.

I covered my face defensively like earlier and let out a cry. "I was just genuinely interested in what you had to say because I am a nice person! Please don't hurt me!"

"A spy wouldn't want me to hurt them!"

"Anybody wouldn't want you to hurt them!" I cried out, still covering me face with my arms.

We calmed down after that and he gave me a skeptical glare before letting me continue. "I swear I'm not a spy. I'll swear it on my family's name and on myself." I put up my hand and my other rested on my heart. "I Soothe Serenity am not a spy. If I am a spy I will disown my family and drowned myself. Happy?"

He nodded is head seriously, seemingly accepting my words. "Okay, my last question, why do you hold up your arms like that when you defend yourself? I thought I saw you put your arms up like that in the lobby but I wasn't for sure. I had to see you d it again and I positive that's a shinobi technique."

I looked at my arms. "Huh? I don't know? I just do it to protect my face."

"That's a shinobi defensive move. The one you were doing is particularly native to Iwa. The place you held your arms, bent your side and kept your eyes open. Don't blame me, many other nations use that same defensive move but the way you executed it. You said there was no shinobi where you come from, this means you have to know a shinobi. You've never been here either, in _our_ world."

"That is a very good question. Props to you. Wow, I am impressed by you. The Great Toad Sage, like woah. Watch out everyone, Jiraiya of the Sannin asks killer questions." I wiggled away from him, unsure on what he would do. "I do know someone," or ten, "but I can't tell you the rest. This would be betraying them. I love 'em very much."

I thought of Deidara teaching me self-defense in the winters so when the boys got restless I could at least defend myself. I remember him holding my shoulders and slapping my ankles when I had it wrong.

"At least I know one of the is from Iwagakure. What's his name?" I didn't answer. "Thank you for answering my questions. By the way, your phone is charged. Here."

I held my phone in my hand and smiled. "Thank y-" My phone buzzed and I looked down. It was a message from June.

 _Are you safe?_

* * *

 **And another chapter is finished my friends. Guess who somehow forgot the leave an authors note last chapter? That's right, me...! Anyways, thank you all for reading, my reviewers, followers, favorites, and even my lurkers.**

 **Fun Fact- If Serenity stayed in her world she would be dating another man, Ethan, from her dance studio. He made a few short appearances back in Chibi in a Box.**

 **A- I'd like a job as a food critic. I get to eat and get paid.**

 **Q- Favorite 3 am snack?**

 **Thank you for read! Till next time.**


	9. When to concentrate

Serenity's POV

I stared at my phone in wonder. A text came through. June was actually okay and texting me, she was fine. She was alive!

"June's alive!" I screeched loudly as I shook my phone. "June's okay!"

And the waterworks began, but you couldn't blame me. Having this stress would make almost anyone start bawling their eyes out. The weight of so much guilt and hurt crippled me but having this burden raised was everything too me. June and Ashton have been my closest friends since my life in America began. Loosing that now would be too devastating for me to deal with.

I looked to Jiraiya with teary eyes and smiled. "My friend is alive, she's okay." I wiped my cheeks and tried to control my sobs of joy, but the dam of emotions broke and I started crying all over again. I was sobbing on the ground now. I was just so happy, I thought June was dead. I thought she was gone for good. I was scared she would be killed, but she's safe and sound.

I wondered why the text finally came through and why not right away, but then I remembered technology from my world and chakra had weird combinations. I remember going to the carnival with Hidan and Kisame at my side, the two of them were pushing chakra into ticket machines and tickets would shoot out. Deidara once made the microwave explode after he pushed too much chakra into it because he was angry. Jiraiya charging my phone with chakra must have caused something to happen. Chakra caused my signal to come back.

 _I don't think you know just how happy I am to see this text I'm okay please call me I can't breath_

I didn't care about punctuation at the moment. I needed to hear June. The phone rang and I answered.

 _"Hello... Serenity... It's me... you hear me?"_ The signal was broken up but I could hear her and that made everything better.

"June! I can't believe I'm hearing you! I'm so happy June, I thought you were going to die and I missed you so much, please don't leave me!" I cried shamelessly.

 _"I can't believe it either... so happy as well!... where- you?"_ The connection stayed fuzzy as we talked, but her voice was calming me nonetheless. I heard her sigh from the other side before speaking again. _"Can you wait?"_

"Yeah, I'm not in any danger. I'm actually in Kusagakure, so I'm not that far from Ame. Are you in Ame?"

 _"Yeah... with Pein and Konan... Tachi, Kisame other members... By the way Konan is... isn't that great?"_

I giggled. "I didn't hear what you said about Konan but tell my brother from another mother I love him. And everyone else! Tell Danna thank and make sure Deidara gets to bed at a decent time. Tell Kisa I'll make him the best breakfast ever when I get back and Hida can enjoy good food. Gramps! I love you and I'm not wasting money either! I love you all! Please come find me soon!" I yelled into the phone. "I'm with Jiraiya, like of the Sannin."

Distorted yell was heard from the other side. _"Seriously! Holy f... -hit, wow... Jiraiya of the f... Sannin!"_ She cleared her throat before screaming into the phone. _"Greetings, Jiraiya of the Sannin!"_ She lowered her voice again. _"Don't make him mad? Got it... okay? Itachi also says hello... Konan does too."_

"I won't make him mad, he's been pretty chill, but I still like you better. Aww, bro, I miss you too," I cooed to the phone.

 _"I'm flattered... Is Ashton... you?"_

I drew in a sharp breath. "What do you mean? I thought Ashton was with you. I haven't seen her since... you know. Where do you think she is?" How can Ashton not be with her? We must have been in the same area when we crossed worlds. How could we not have?

 _"No, she's not here... We'll find her... worry... Seri, I miss you... wouldn't understand how much... stay safe... I must leave because we are trying to find you and... we'll see each other..."_ she promised. The signal became even worse and her voice died off. _"... love you."_

"I love you too, June. Please hurry," I choked out. The phone went to static and I cried some more. She was safe but gone again. But she was safe. I could breathe slightly easier.

Jiraiya looked at me with a questioning stare and he blinked. "What was that all about? You found your friend?"

"YES! June is safe and she is coming to get me. My bro is with her and so are my other friends, but my cousin... Ashton is missing. She's gone..." I trailed, my tone betraying too many emotions. "She has dark hair and is really tall. She's really strong and- you know what, I have a picture of her."

I tapped my phone until I found a decent photo of Ashton. She was smiling brightly at the camera while holding a peace sign. This was taken last month when Ashton and I went to Walmart. For some reason she was very excited, I still don't know why.

Jiraiya observed the photo carefully before nodding. "Okay, I'll keep an eye out for her."

"Thank you." I let out a sigh of relief and rolled onto the floor. I didn't want to leave the floor, I needed time to think. June was safe but Ashton was MIA. I wanted to start thinking some more until my phone buzzed again. June texted me again.

 _Don't worry yourself too much, Pein decided to send a team out for you. I should see you within the week._

I nodded and sent a text agreeing to what she said. _Okay... Please hurry. I love you._

As I texted Jiraiya peered over my shoulder and squinted. "What does it say?" he asked.

I brightened the slightest at this. "This is my home language, English. June just messaged me some of my other friends are coming to find me! I'll be home within the week! I'll see June!"

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile at my enthusiasm. "That's great news!" He stretched his arms before walking to the door. "But before you leave we need to work on something." He beckoned me to follow him. "Yesterday I mentioned you had chakra. I know I offended you but I wasn't lying," the man waved his hand as if he was trying to find the correct word, "its not your own chakra, it is everything else. Chakra is just clumping to you and if you dispel it at the wrong time you may hurt yourself or others. That's why I need to get you processing it through your system."

I cocked my head to the side. "I don't get it."

"This is complicated." He rubbed the back of his head. "Think of yourself as a magnet. You attract certain properties to you, in this case, chakra. You can use it, but it may cause issues. For example dispelling the amount of chakra you're attracting would be dangerous. You could hurt yourself, you need to learn to regulate it. Like a magnet, you need to attract less by weakening your attraction or becoming smaller. You're attracting the chakra of everything, the table, the chairs, the floor, even my own. This gives your own signature."

"Okay..."

"Magnet example is not working, okay. You have a balloon, but the balloon sucks up everything around it, okay? What happens after it takes in some much that it can barely take in any more and you put a little pressure on it." I looked at him, confused and he smiled.

"Pop."

I recoiled back. "Ew, am I going to just," I flicked my hands towards him, "pop?"

"Not if you control your intake and outtake," he answered.

"Okay, I think I got it," I trailed as I nodded. "What do I need to do?"

Jiraiya waved for me. "Naruto is outside training, you can join us today. I'll be going over meditation, this should help you."

I bounded after him and we went outside, but not without the man behind the counter watching us. I nodded to him and he did the same in turn. As I stood outside I felt as if he were still watching me. I shook off the feeling and decided to follow Jiraiya closer. He lead me to a small clearing near the tavern. The clearing was surrounded by trees and full of yellowed grass. The outside was cold, the air nipped at my face and I wished I brought something warmer for a moment, but the trees surrounding us blocked out most of the bitter wind. I was more accustomed to the cold anyways. Wisconsin winters could be unforgiving and this was a heat wave compared to that.

In the clearing was Naruto stretching. He hadn't noticed me yet because he was too caught up with staring at the ground and touching his toes. I smiled excitedly because I haven't stretched for a while.

I sat next to him and reached for my toes. "It feels so good to stretch," I hummed, satisfied with the feeling of muscles stretching. The faint burn in my thighs felt refreshing as I stretched my legs. "Hello Naruto," I greeted.

He smiled at me. "Hi Serenity! How are you?"

"I'm doing well, how about yourself?"

He started to mimic my stretching positions as I strained my muscles. Sadly the boy was not able to hit middle splits like I, but he was trying. "You're really flexible Serenity," he murmured as he tried touching his hands to his ankles while he was in a bridge. My back was my most flexible point, so bridges were naturally easier for me. I always had been flexible and surprisingly Ashton was flexible. It was June who could barley touch her toes.

"I'm a dance instructor and entertainer, so I kinda have to be," I giggled, going down to my elbows, still in the bridge. Jiraiya perked at this and before he could say anything I glared at him. "Pervert!"

I have come accustomed to this while living with nine men, who are were all perverted in some way. Don't you dare come crying to me saying someone like Itachi or Pein or Zetsu wasn't dirty at times. Because if you do I have stories to tell. If anything Itachi was only perverted in private, Zetsu was more open about it then one may think, and do not get me started on Pein.

Jiraiya pursed his lips together and crossed his arms. "I think that's enough stretching for now. Sit down and cross your legs."

Naruto and I followed. I sat down and pulled at the grass as I listened to Jiraiya. "Naruto, Serenity will be joining us today. I'm jumping right into todays lesson. We will be working on meditation. I want you to put your hands in a hand seal that is conformable but allows chakra flow. After, I want you to focus, feel the chakra flowing through you and control it. Slow it and find rest inside your mind."

"That's it?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded by his objective.

"Yep!" Jiraiya perked happily. He stood up and began to walk away. "I'll be back in a while! I have some... research to attend to." He waved to us and walked off.

I stared at the man's back as he disappeared. That was really it? He told me chakra wasn't even my own! How am I supposed to feel it flowing in me when I have nothing but blood! He was frustrating, but I could work with this. I settled myself and rested my hands in a tiger seal. I was going to do this, I just needed to concentrate. How hard could it be? Finding peace of mind isn't that hard, I have to be positive.

But that didn't work too well. Positive thoughts lead to my friends and then that thought reminded me Ashton was missing, that caused me to worry. I was sad because Ashton was unheard from but I was worried because Jiraiya wanted us to find rest in our mind. This wasn't an easy task, I was a deep thinker, but not in a personal way. I didn't like thinking of my mind. It was a dark and scary place. I started to worry because I was off of my medication for three days now and what if it was longer? I'd be back to square one. The last 'episode' I had was last year. Ashton, June and I were arguing about financial issues.

I stopped taking the medication because of the cost and it failed. I had to build myself up again. I remember Itachi comforting me that day, I told him about my brother Nico. How the two looked alike and how sad I was. He comforted me and that caused me to feel relieved but also angry because who was I to show him such weakness? He had enough issues without me, plus, he should be more focused on June than me.

My eyes opened. The floor swayed like the ocean and the sun was blocked by a patch of clouds. How was I supposed to find inner peace like this? I slammed to the ground and pouted silently. With a quick peak I saw Naruto, his face was scrunched together and he was trying hard to meditate.

"Psst, Serenity. Are you doing it?" he whispered, his eyes still shut.

"Please, you can call me Seri," I whispered back, "and no. I'm not doing it."

Naruto opened his eyes and slouched in defeat. He looked at me with a sad pout and I resisted the urge to hold him. This boy's pout was so cute I may die. He could bring Sasuke back and end a world war just by pouting. His pout is just as effective as therapy no jutsu. This pout can solve world hunger. I'm telling you, Naruto's pout is so adorable yet saddening I almost cried. I am so convinced he is pure and must be protected at all costs.

I sighed. "How about this... I make some pretty good ramen. If you can focus by the time Jiraiya gets back I'll make you all the ramen you want tonight, sound good?" I questioned.

Naurto gasped happily. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Only if you concentrate!" I scolded, lightly bopping him on the head.

He grinned and fixed his posture then settled down. A look of pure determination crossed his face before he closed his eyes to concentrate. He took in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. I couldn't help but smile, he was already focusing, good. He just needed a bit of motivation, everyone did. If ramen was all he needed to settle I didn't need that much of an incentive.

I crossed my legs again and closed my eyes. I needed to feel the chakra or energy around me. First I needed to clear my mind of any troubles, focus on something you love, like Ashton, June, Nico, Deidara, my parents, chocolate. The good things, not the bad. I could think of the simple things. I decided to focus on Naruto and Deidara.

The two boys were so alike yet so different. Both of them had beautiful golden hair and sky blue eyes with a boyish face. Both were overconfident and had partners or friends that were the strong silent type. Deidara and Naruto both loved food and had the same smirk as they squinted their eyes. The two of them laughed similarly and had the same gestures. Yet one was more... murderous than the other and one believed in never taking back their word or believed friends were the most important thing.

Naruto believed the world should be at peace. His friends were the most important thing in his life and he forgave others easily. Deidara didn't care about world peace, his art came first and then close friends. Deidara did not forgive others as easily as others and he would resent his village rather than love it if he was put through so many hardships.

But Deidara had few friends he cherished. Deidara didn't show his love well but it was there. My boy would fight for me, he proved that when I walked into a meeting and when I discovered the Akatsuki's seals under the carpet. He even wanted to stay with me, I knew he couldn't though.

Thinking of Ashton helped as well because I knew she would be brave here. She would preserve, be strong. So if she could do this so could I, wherever she was.

I was at peace of mind now and could finally focus. I could feel chakra coating my body, but it was faint. It almost felt like hot chocolate trickling down my arm. It was warm and comforting. June always described it as cold, but I felt it differently. Like hot chocolate or warm milk on a late night. But it ran down my body fast and I started to understand what Jiraiya meant. It was too fast.

Though the chakra was fickle, I did it. I slowed the warm trickle of chakra after one and a half hours of complete concentration. I did it.

Jiraiya came back with food. A plate of dango and dumplings. He sat down next to us and grinned. "So you two figure out everything?"

"No!" Naruto yelled angrily. "Why did you leave without even telling me what I was supposed to do? What was even the objective?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "To focus and concentrate on your chakra," he offered Naruto a dumpling and the boy took it, "did you at least focus?"

Naruto nodded happily. "Yeah, I stayed here, in this same spot until you came back trying to concentrate."

"Good!" Jiraiya praised. He ruffled Naruto's hair and Naruto fixed his hair despite it being messy already. The boy pouted but he knew he was being teased and smiled soon after.

Jiraiya turned to me. "How'd you do?"

"I did it, come on, check it!" I laughed, proud of my accomplishment.

He looked at me skeptically before raising his hand. I expected him to hit me over the head but I felt my hair being messed with. I looked up to see him grinning and ruffling my hair. "Good job kid, I knew you could do it."

I looked down and blushed. "You're just saying that," I stood up and took the small plate of dango from him, "I'm going to head back. I promised Naruto ramen and I expect him to be eating most of it."

Jiraiya nodded. "Naruto and I are going to be here, we'll see you later Serenity!"

I smiled, it felt nice to be praised.

* * *

3rd POV

Jiraiya patted his stomach and let out a long sigh. Serenity really did make good ramen, and a lot of it. A bit too much.

The moon was full tonight and Jiraiya was outside writing underneath a light outside. It was late into the night and Jiraiya was supposed to be sleeping but he couldn't resist writing another chapter of Icha Icha. Inspiration suddenly hit him and he was so motivated to write. Plus, Naruto was sleeping soundlessly and not bothering him while he wrote.

The sage was going to continue to write but a message came to him. A messenger bird descended from the night skies and next to him holding a small scroll. The hawk landed gracefully, only kicking up a few specks of dirt. Jiraiya patted the bird's side before taking the piece of paper it clutched between its claws.

It was a letter from Shizune- well not a letter, but a note. It was better to keep letters to a minimum. If any enemy were to intercept a message by bird they would have all of the details. Details were best for meetings or messages sent by a ninja, not a bird.

 _Have you heard of America or the Land of the Free before?_

Shizune contacted him whenever she came upon something rather unusual because Jiraiya had a knack for attracting the unusual. Plus, he had extensive knowledge about odd places and people from his travels. But this note, America. That was a place Serenity talked about once, her home land. She lived wherever this Land of the Free was.

Jiraiya assumed America was a hidden village but he could not be sure. Why did Shizune even know about this place? Serenity was the only one from America she didn't... she didn't have her friend with her. The woman stated her friend was lost, Ashton if he remembered. Ashton was missing, she could be in Konoha.

Serenity could find her friend, but Jiraiya wasn't sure about her still. He knew she was no spy, or she was just a very bad spy, because she did not act the part. She let her sides open despite consciously trying to keep safe. He'd wait to tell her till her friends picked her up. He wanted to see who she associated with. Until then he'd ask about her friends to get more information.

Jiraiya flipped the note over and wrote: _Yes, do you have a woman from America? I do._

He attached the note to the bird and tapped it so it'd leave. The bird spread its wings and flew off into the night. Jiraiya watched as the hawk circled around the tavern with loud squawks. It was a graceful animal indeed but Jiraiya could not help but groan. He could feel stress rolling in, this was going to be a long week. He needed to unwind, relax. There was a bath house close by luckily, he could soak for a while and conduct his 'research'.

* * *

 **What you'd think? Too OOC or I'm okay? Anyways, Serenity stuck to nicknames while calling June as to not reveal any identities. Jiraiya would have enabled her on the spot if he were to hear Itachi or Kisame's name. I'll explain this more later but Serenity has chakra because the principles of this world are different. Every living thing needs chakra. That now includes Serenity. Though chakra is coated her body more than directly inserting itself into her body. June was forcibly given chakra in an environment that lacked it. There was no interference. So I hope that clears up any confusion.**

 **Fun Fact- Ashton does a good Rin cosplay. The only reason it's off is because of her height. Also, Obito has told Ashton how much she resembles Rin three times. Every time Ashton was unnerved.**

 **Answer- Tortilla chips**

 **Question- If you could pick any three anime characters to be your guards who would you pick?**

 **Well that's all. Till next time!**


	10. When to laugh

June's POV (skim edit)

I curled into the couch I was sitting on and drew in a shaky breath. Serenity was okay but Ashton was MIA. She could be anywhere. Knowing her irresponsible logic she'd land herself into the nearest jail cell, but I had some faith in her.

Itachi curled his arm around me. "We will find Ashton. She can take care of herself too. There is a reason she has challenged Pein before and lived. Have faith in her," he whispered to me.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I will. She's fine, but I can't help but worry, you know what I mean. You'd worry if I was missing."

Itachi sighed. "I would, but that is different. Ashton is able to defend herself and she is not my responsibility."

"Are you saying I'm incapable, because if that is what you are implying mister I will have you know I am great at intimidation!" I scolded, snuggling further into him. I wouldn't say intimidating, but my observation skills is what made me intimidating at times. I saw things other people didn't and when I pointed it out people became nervous because I was not supposed to observe _that_ about them.

"I'm teaching you self-defense tomorrow," Itachi murmured into my hair.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, but only if you and maybe Kisame teach me."

"Of course-"

Kisame ran into the room with a grin on his face. I watched as he looked around anxiously before locking his gaze on me. "Wel speak of the devil," I muttered, rolling my eyes towards the swordsman.

He ran to me and lifted me off of the couch. "You need to hide behind the couch," he whispered, but his tone was mischievous. Before I could argue he pushed me behind the couch and told me to shut up, but politely nonetheless. He sat where I was seated and pushed Itachi away from him.

I heard voices down the hallway. They were chatting loudly and coming closer to us.

"I still don't understand why Leader called us all here. He said it was something important, hmm," the voice chuckled dryly, "like I believe that." I grinned internally, it was Deidara, I could see why Kisame wanted to hide me. He wanted to scare the crap out of the others.

"Leader has his reasons, Deidara." That would be White Zetsu. "So shut up and stop complaining." And that would be Black Zetsu.

A chuckle was heard. "I agree with the plant for once, so shut it Dei-chan!" Ah, that annoying voice must be Hidan.

Hidan yelped a moment later and yelled. A different voice spoke before he could. "Shut up, you're a nuisance." Our favorite miser has arrived.

The four walked into the living room and greeted Kisame and Itachi. "Hey guys, did Leader tell you what was going on?" Kisame questioned, draping his arm over the couch.

"No, not yet," Kakuzu answered, his voice seeming gruffer than last time. I assumed it was because he was yelling and scolding Hidan more than he usually did.

Itachi caught onto what Kisame was doing. "Pein has informed us we are to tell you what the news is."

The other four seated themselves across Kisame and Itachi quietly, except Hidan, he was an idiot. "So why did we have to rush out of our missions and come here, huh? What could be so important we had to fu-"

"SURPRISE!" I yelled, popping out behind the couch.

I believe Kakuzu lost a heart and I am very proud of myself. The miser flinched back and his eyes widened before he sputtered out my name. "June, what are you doing here!"

I walked in front of the couch and greeted Kakuzu with a side hug. He patted my head in turn. "I just was messing around and teleported myself here," I shrugged, "I'm living with you guys now."

Hidan stood up and pushed me lightly. "I don't believe that, I created those seals perfectly. There is no way you were screwing around and 'accidently' teleported yourself here. You're spouting bull crap."

"I love you too," I muttered angrily.

He rolled his eyes then let me hug him. He wrap his arms around me and picked me up much like Kisame. I kicked his shin because I did not want to be picked up at the moment. He dropped me then punched my shoulder and I kicked his kneecap in turn. Aren't we so loving to each other?

"Screw you, June!" But he gave me another bear hug and returned it. I was on the tips of my feet as I tightly wraped my arms around him. After another moment he let go so I could move on.

I strided over to Deidara, who was gawking like an idiot. Before he spoke I attacked his hair and started pulling on it. "Stop staring at me like an idiot, close your mouth before you catch flies."

Deidara slapped my hand away and tugged on my hair. I tugged back at his hair again and yelped. "June!" Deidara yelled, letting go of my hair and crashing into me. I hugged him back fiercely and held him to my shoulder. He hugged me back for a moment before pushing me away, a faint blush adoring is cheeks.

He crossed his arms and I ruffled his hair. "It's not funny!" he scolded, slapping my hand away and growling.

I rolled my eyes. "I missed you too," I sighed lovingly.

"Aww, does Dei-chan want to hug June?" Hidan cooed, teasing Deidara effectively.

Deidara yelled at Hidan and I moved on to my next victim. Zetsu was in front of me and smiled. His White side rumpled my hair and half heartedly smiled. "Hey June," White Zetsu greeted.

I smiled. "I'm happy to see you too Zetsu." I gave him a side armed hug and he returned it. "I missed you and your conflicting sides."

Zetsu smirked. "Missed you too, kid," Black Zetsu chuckled, patting my shoulder. He gave me a knowing glance and leaned by my ear discreetly. "Did he talk to you?" Black Zetsu whispered, his voice mostly a hiss.

He was referring to Madara, Zetsu must have been conniving a plan with Madara. But this wasn't too surprising to me, Zetsu was Madara's soul confidant. The two must talk everything over since they have the "same" goal in common.

"Yeah," I whispered back. I punched him lightly on the arm. "That's why I'm living with you, weren't you listening dork?"

White Zetsu blushed and scratched his cheek. "I apologize, my mind has been elsewhere lately."

I patted him on the back and chuckled. "Me too, buddy."

I moved onto my favorite miser and smirked. I knew I scared the crap outta him, I hope he lost a heart. For all of the crap he gave me in our world he deserves to lose at least one heart, but the man did help me financially, so I couldn't wish such a fate upon him. Kakuzu cherished his hearts, he worked very hard to earn each cardiac organ.

He stood up from his seat and towered over me. His face was as stoic as ever but his eyes held some affection for me. I knew Kakuzu didn't love me, we were more than acquaintances though. More like partners in crime, respectable companions, fellow misers. Though I wasn't nearly as bad as him when it came to money. No one was more greedy than Kakuzu, no one.

"Don't do that ever again," he muttered before ruffling my hair.

I soaked up the attention the miser was giving me because displaying affection to anyone or thing, except his money, was a no. "You know you still like me."

He sighed and nodded. "How'd you get here?"

I looked back at Itachi, seeing if he wanted to tell the story. Itachi nodded and beckoned for me to come to him again. I sat down next to him and he pulled me close before speaking. "It was partially my doing. I left one of my summons who was able to travel back and forth between worlds to report the girls' status. My summon must have became irritated or impatient that June wasn't leaving the room so it opened up a portal for itself. June also found the seals to the portal," Itachi glared at Hidan, "may I ask how you could have forgotten such crucial evidence?"

Hidan scoffed. "What are you talking about?"

"I am saying you left behind the papers that stated the creation of the seals and hand signs needed to activated. Pein explicitly stated not to leave anything behind," Itachi scolded.

Kisame and Deidara coughed awkwardly, I remembered that both left behind an item. Hidan wasn't taking well to Itachi's accusation. "You left behind some dumb bird! I just left the chain to my necklace!"

"But you are not denying you left the papers," Itachi deadpanned.

I smacked his shoulder lightly. "Be nice," I scolded. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for those papers. So thank you, Hidan."

Hidan smirked. "Now that's the respect I deserve. Good blonde."

"Watch it."

"Screw you!"

I sighed. "So violent, even after I saved you from Itachi," I shook my head, "thanks Hidan, wow."

He mock growled at me before seating himself again. "Where are the other two?"

"That's why Pein-sama called you here, Ashton and Serenity went missing. We went to summon them here but they never came," Kisame explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "Pein wants us to go and look for them."

"That's troublesome," Black Zetsu hummed, rubbing is chin. "We'll get to work within the day."

"Thanks Zetsu. I owe you one," I sighed, feeling relieved he was going to work hard. "I'm really worried for them. Before you guys came I got off the phone with Serenity and she is somewhere in Kusa with Jiraiya. Ashton, well I can't get a hold of her. She just has seemed to disappear."

Hidan walked up to me and patted my shoulder. "She can't be dead."

"Wow, you're reassuring," I deadpanned. Though, I appreciated his efforts in trying to comfort me. Hidan could be sweet when he tried, but the when he wasn't trying he's a colossal jerk.

Deidara hummed in agreement. "Yeah, Ashton would fight off the Shinagami before he would take her soul. We'd hear her for sure, hmm."

Itachi nodded. "Deidara and Hidan are right. Ashton is fine."

I sighed and sank deeper into his arms. Why did Ashton always have to go missing? I remember when we were teenagers and she wouldn't show up on movie nights or nights we planned months before. She'd disappear and never answer her phone. A few days later she'd show up with a bruised jaw or a few broken fingers. It was so anxiety inducing knowing she could be hurt due to her idiotic gang! I hated them and now she was gone again. She could be starting fights or getting herself interrogated.

(In Konoha Ashton sneezed violently. She rubbed her nose before shifting her attention back to the silver haired shinobi sitting below her and continued to try and shove a bed mattress out the window).

"Pein wants you all to check in," Kisame said, understanding I was becoming more worried by the second.

Kakuzu was the first to leave and as he did he flicked my cheek. "Don't pout, its annoying. I'm going to find that devil."

I smiled up at him and nodded. "I'm keeping you to that Kakuzu, you owe me if you don't find her. I want 50% of your profits if you can't find her."

He grunted, but I could tell he was amused. "And I want some help collecting funds when I find her." He left the room dragging Hidan along. Deidara hurried closely and Zetsu disappeared to somewhere. I guessed to Madara, but the man was known to disappear to the most random places. Back in our world the farthest he's ever traveled was to Florida. Zetsu was gone for three days and I still don't know what he even did. I just remember getting a call from him while I was at work. He asked me where Florida was and how to get to Wisconsin from there.

"Rest for a bit," Itachi whispered to me. He lightly forced my head to his shoulder and held my hand.

I pulled away. "Can I get some time to think?"

"Hn."

I stood up and rubbed my arms. I was dressed in one of Itachi's shirt and Konan's pants all while wearing the cloak Kisame gave me. It was warm and the base was cold. Especially the hallways and I was planning on wandering them for a while to think. "I'm going to walk around to think for a bit, I'll be back in a bit, love."

Itachi nodded and Kisame started to talk to Itachi about whatever. I only heard him mention something about teasing Deidara but that was about it. I was too far down the halls. I traveled down the staircases and now was wandering the artists' level. It was so spacious and I thought it was slightly unfair they were given so much room, but the two were artists. They needs their space.

My plan was to wander the halls to think better but I soon discovered I was working myself up. I was in this world without an medication and could not return home for a week or two. I was cautioned about the unknown consequences of crossing worlds by Pein. He warned me there may be consequences to such acts. Pein said he'd try his best to find me some medication that matched up to my previous pills, but its been a week and I believe he forgot. I'm too nervous to ask again.

An idea suddenly struck me. Sasori was in the base still and I could go screw with him. Maybe scare him like Kakuzu, that would be entertaining. So I snuck down the halls and to his room. With a steady hand I slowly turned the knob to his door. His door was a smooth wood that was carefully painted with a beautiful cream. I could tell this is something Sasori would paint while Deidara's door was more... erratic.

I snuck into the room and the overwhelming smell of wood and metal filled my senses. I poked my head out into the halls again to gain a fresh breath of air before sneaking further into the room. The room was actually very wonderful and spacious. The floor was adorned by wooden boards and the room I was currently in branched out to two more. Each door was set up as traditional sliding doors, but the door was made out of a cream wood.

I opened one door to see a room full of jars. Each jar was on a shelf that surrounded the room and the only light was a bright ceiling lamp. As I looked closer I noticed each jar had some type of specimen in it. For example I observed scorpions, ants, and frogs. Each possessed some kind of poison. The other jars were full of chemicals and occasionally a jar contained a human organ. Each organ I saw I shivered.

Sasori, you're nasty.

I closed the door to this room and moved on. The other room was large and I couldn't see the end of it. The room was like a jungle, but not of vegetation, rather puppets and wood. Creepy puppets hung from the ceiling and I cringed at the sight of each puppet. They all seemed to be staring at me. Not cool.

As I traveled even further into the room and I couldn't help but noticed it was quite clean for such a stuffed room. Every object seemed to be a in a place for a reason. I marveled at the organization that must have gone into this room.

A bright head of hair was spotted from the back of the room. It was Sasori, who was focused on some task. I moved closer and I could see him better. He wasn't wearing a shirt at the moment and from what I could see he wasn't human anymore. He must have opted for his puppet body the second he came back. I rolled my eyes, personally I thought it was dumb. Sure it was a great offense and defense but it didn't let you enjoy life. Life was about feeling. The warmth of a hug, or the smell of morning coffee. Little things like that make life.

He was using a large, sharp saw to slowly cut away at his wooden hand. He was focused on make the wood perfect, but the giant saw seemed inefficient.

But it was perfect for me.

I slowly snuck up to the redhead. He was so concentrated I doubted he would notice me, plus, we had the same chakra. He'd only sense foreign chakra. I was right behind him and held in a snicker before I slammed my hands down on his shoulders and screamed.

"I'M BACK!"

He jumped and let out a loud grunt before whipping around. He looked at the ground and so did I. There was the hand Sasori was working so hard on to complete. He didn't look up at me, but only stared at the well crafted, wooden hand. A low growl admitted from him and I took a step back.

"Deidara, what have I told you about interrupting my work?"

I couldn't hold in my laughter any longer and let the tears stream down my face. I was giggling madly and holding my side. "Oh my god, you are such an idiot! How do you chop off your own hand? How did you think I was Deidara?"

He snapped up and glared at me. "June," he growled, taking a step forward.

I darted out of the room and into the hallway. Mid run I stopped to hold the wall. I was laughing so hard I needed a breath. "Kill me, go for it. I can't... oh my Jashin, please help me. I never knew you could be such an idiot."

Sasori grabbed my wrist then slapped me over the head and I covered my head. "That'd hurt more if you had a hand." He raised his good hand to hit me but I flinched. "Sorry, sorry."

I stood up and bit my lip, still shaking from laughter. "Do you need help Sasori?"

He nodded. "Actually, I do-"

"-because I'd be more than happy to give you a _hand_."

I sprinted away from the redhead before more damage could come to me. I could hear him running after me and that made everything scarier and funnier. I sprinted up the stairs and turned sharply. Sasori was going to murder me if I was caught. There was no doubt about that.

I turned back to Sasori and he was barley a foot away from me. I squeaked, knowing if I didn't do anything I'd be screwed. I decided now was the time to show off to Sasori. To show him what I have learned. I put out my hand and attached chakra strings to his leg. I had the element of surprise, he'd never see it coming. So when I jerked my hand up and he slammed to the floor face first I cackled.

"Sorry, I should have done that _beforehand_!"

I hurled myself into the living room and crashed into Itachi. I kissed his cheek and seated myself tightly between Kisame and him. "I want to tell you both I love you and please protect me." Before Itachi could say anything Sasori trudged into the room with a dark look.

"And he lives!" Kisame teased, throwing his arms into the air. "I thought you'd be in there forever."

"I would have been done if it weren't for June," he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I do not even want to know why you're here."

I grabbed onto Itachi's arm. "I apologize Sasori, though my behavior and sudden appearance goes," Sasori glared at me, daring me to go on, " _hand in hand_."

"That's it," Sasori marched up to me and grabbed my wrist.

Itachi stood up and grabbed Sasori's wrist in turn and jerked him off of me. I shoved myself in between the two and raised my hands defensively. "Chill Sasori. Itachi." I push Sasori back. "Sorry, Sasori. I am so sorry you're such an idiot. I didn't mean for things to get this out of _hand_."

He punched my shoulder and I hissed in pain. "Ow!" I whined, batting away at him.

Itachi pulled me close and glared at Sasori. "What are you doing out, Sasori? I thought you were working on your arts and crafts." I covered my mouth and snorted. Itachi being sassy was the best thing. He rarely was, but when he did act up it was always hilarious.

"Excuse me." Sasori put his arm to his chest, feigning offense. I held in more laughter considering his hand was missing. Itachi was holding my head to his shoulder and I was burying my face in his shoulder to keep from laughing. Sasori's remarks make me have a heart attack.

"I am not doing arts and crafts. I am working on complicated blueprints and applying perplexing techniques that can only be done by the finest of artisans. I am recreating the human anatomy through woods and metal, but better. Though I do not expect you to understand what I am talking about. You wouldn't know anything of art or hard work. You can simply copy everything with those eyes of yours," Sasori commented, waving a dismissive hand.

I moved from Itachi to Kisame. "I can't breathe!" I whisper yelled, tearing pooling in my eyes. The two were like a bickering couple with relationship issues at a therapist. Sasori was the nagging wench, complaining about his perfection. Kisame chuckled and patted me head.

"I have worked very hard in my life. I am no puppet and cannot be controlled while you are the epitome of a puppet," Itachi retorted, crossing his arms. He was ready to end the conversation and turned away from Sasori.

"Says the one named after a weasel," Sasori muttered.

"Names have nothing to do with this, scorpion."

"And yet you just called me one," Sasori deadpanned.

Itachi sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just leave us, puppeteer. I will talk to June, I am sure she meant no harm."

"I was actually hoping he'd cut through his leg," I commented, finally calming down.

Itachi turned around the me and shook his head. "June," he sighed, he looked very done with this conversation. He looked ready to yell in frustration but his Uchiha pride would not allow such an action, so he settled for rolling his eyes and a small grunt. "You may deal with Sasori."

I bowed my head to Sasori. "Oh Sasori-sama, forgive me for my past, but not so long ago, transgressions against you. What can I do to please you?"

"First you can stop being so bratty and secondly come help me. I need my hand," he snapped, running his hand through his hair.

I nodded and turned to Itachi. "I'll be back soon. If I don't come back in under forty-five minutes look for me. Sasori is probably turning me into a puppet."

Itachi nodded in turn. "Sasori would not even think of it. He's not that idiotic to do so."

Sasori growled. "Please, June is too horrendous looking to be considered art," he retorted, silently trudging away with me in tow. I followed him back to his room and helped him reattach his hand. His anger finally faded after a few minutes and he calmed down. I could tell by the way he was talking and he'd give the occasional chuckle. He even allowed me to examine his arm. It was quite interesting, how the mechanics of it were so complex. Certain sections of the wood would open to reveal some type of weapon or poison. I laughed because it was like him to store weapons everywhere.

"Can you still feel?" I questioned, holding his hand still so he could smooth it out. He was using sand paper at the moment and shaving away any uneven areas.

"I don't know what you mean," he replied, not looking up at me but continuing to work.

"Like physically or emotionally," I clarified, handing him a new piece of sand paper.

He hummed, thinking of an answer. "Not quite physically. I know when something is touching me. Chakra is laced through this body, giving it the appearance of a chakra system. Anytime anything touches me the chakra in my body alerts my heart of the touch. This all happens within the same second, even less. The only thing that can feel is my heart, even then it is preserved in a container. So if I wanted I could feel with my heart, but I keep it contained so no harm comes to it," he explained, putting the sand paper down and twisting his hand onto his wrist. It clicked in with a loud pop and he moved his hand around, clenching and unclenching it.

"That's why you put your heart in a Pringles container."

Sasori ignored me and continued his explanation. "And yes, I can still feel emotionally," he chuckled, but for the first time I noticed his voice was more hollow, "not as much as I used to, but I can still feel as you saw from my... demonstration with Itachi."

I felt a bit confused because the Sasori I knew wasn't the most emotional person but he got angry and irritated. He would laugh at the pain of others or at stupid, but witty jokes. He was expressive when talking but art and loved to drink coffee. He liked to critize dumb shows and sleep in on afternoons. It was weird seeing him like this, not as expressive.

"That's enough of that now," Sasori rubbed his hands together to get any excess dirt or dust off, "I think I will go to Pein now. He must know my body is stable and I will be able to start missions in a month. It takes a month for my chakra to recalibrate in this body properly." He gestured for me to start leaving and he followed after me as soon as I start walking away.

"I am also aware of your predicament. I have already sent messages to all of my spies occupying Kusa to find Serenity and protect her. As we speak my other spies are getting a message about Ashton." The both of us were out of his room now and standing in the hall way. "Do not worry June, the brat and Ashton are fine."

He awkwardly patted my shoulder. "Anyways, thank you again for your assistants, even if you were the reason for the delay." He walked back into his room, probably to dress in more appropriate attire to meet up with Pein. I stared at his door for a moment. Everything about him seemed slightly off and it bothered me. Sasori wasn't acting like his usual self and it was because of his new modifications.

I ignored the thought and walked back to Itachi and Kisame. Zetsu, Deidara, Kakuzu, and Hidan were in the living room now, all talking. Everyone was standing, looking as if they were going to leave. I began to worry, hoping I wouldn't be left alone. If I was I'd be with Konan the whole time. I do not want to get stuck in this building alone with Madara.

"Hey June, were just about to leave!" Kisame said, waving his hand at me.

I frowned. "Really?" I questioned, the disappointment in my voice audible. I made my way to Itachi and hugged his arm.

He sighed loudly, knowing I didn't want him to leave. "Kisame," Itachi wrapped an arm around me, "I would prefer to stay here. I promised June I would teach her some self-defense. Would you be okay if you left without me?"

Zetsu chuckled at this. "I was notified this might happen," White Zetsu commented, still chuckling quietly to himself. "Pein has told me Itachi is allowed to stay. Kisame and Kakuzu are to be paired and Hidan and Deidara."

"Before you ask why, Hidan and Deidara because they will be deployed in Kusagakure right away to find Serenity. The two may have a better time finding her then Hidan and Kakuzu. Kisame and Kakuzu are going to follow some leads Sasori and I will provide to find Ashton," Black Zetsu explained.

I smirked. "Thank you Pein," I murmured. Though I felt mildly offended he expected this out of Itachi.

Kisame chuckled and patted me on the head. "Okay kids, you win. You'll be good here then, right Itachi?"

Itachi nodded. "I will, you?"

"I can last a week or two without you watching my back. Kakuzu is a reliable man, I'll be fine," Kisame patted Itachi's shoulder, "see you, partner."

"Goodbye, Kisame," Itachi said, dipping his head. Itachi looked to Kakuzu, dipping his well but conveying a silent message: watch Kisame's back... or else.

Kakuzu nodded back and said his farewells before walking away with Kisame in tow. Kisame waved goodbye and disappeared down the hallway. Soon Hidan and Deidara left, bickering about something unimportant. Zetsu disappeared, Itachi nor I even seeing him leave the area. I trusted they would find Serenity and Ashton. They had to find the two, they were the Akatsuki after all.

* * *

 **Sasori knew of June's presence within the base the first day but was not given a reason. He sent out messages to his spy network right away as well and the man behind the bar counter is one of Sasori's spies.**

 **Fun Fact- Ashton was the first to get her drivers license but flunked the course once. Despite June being to young for driving at the time she helped Ashton learn how to drive.**

 **A- Saitama from One Punch Man, Yuu from Charlotte, and Madara Uchiha.**

 **Q- Best breakfast?**

 **Well, till next time!**


	11. When to learn

Ashton's POV (edit)

Warm droplets of sweat slowly poured down my face while my lungs burned. Yet, I kept a smirk on my face. I was not letting some teenage girl run more laps than me. I refused to let Sakura, of all people, pass me up while jogging.

Asuma invited Sakura to come trian with his team and she asked if I could join them. I agreed of course, I needed a bit of a work out. How hard could this girl train, I thought. She didn't train very hard in Shonen, I thought.

I was so wrong. So very wrong. I forgot she stepped it up after Naruto left for training. Sakura trained her hardest so she wasn't left behind by the others. I thought she was just brave for trying her hardest, but some days she was something else. Considering I was a regular civilian and Sakura was some ninja I was keeping up.

The girl wasn't going to be passing me. Not just because I was too stubborn but also cheating a bit considering Asuma made everyone wear weights except me. Though, that did not mean I wasn't weary. If I didn't start working more one day she would be passing me up. It was our fourth mile, I was almost done and after I could take a rest.

I crossed the end line and crashed to the ground. "I succeed! Suck it!" I huffed out as I threw my arms in the air. I enjoyed how cold the dirt was against my back and took in a deep breathe.

Asuma leaned over me and gave me a confused looked. I looked back at him. "What? I feel accomplished. I beat Sakura and considering she was ahead of all of _your_ students I feel even more awesome."

He quirked his eyebrow and didn't say anything. "That's what I thought, boy. I'll fight you and your students."

He offered me a hand and I took it. I dusted myself off then turned back to him. Asuma gave me a smug smirk. "Are you sure about that, you'd fight my students?"

"Any day, Smoky," I scoffed as I waved a dismissive hand to him. I was confident I could fend off Ino and Shikamaru, but Choji, the boy may cause me issues. That boy weighs a little less than me and he could probably knock me over with mild effort. But Ino I am not worried about, I could flick her and she'd be down and Shikamaru would be more troublesome to deal with if he was older. Now he has a sharp mind, but not the body to execute his plans.

"Okay, my students need some practice with individuals out of the village anyways. You said you could fight, didn't you? Let's test that," he said, puffing out a large cloud of smoke.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm down, call the brats in."

Asuma nodded and waved to his half dead students. They were all red in the face and huffing from the run. Shikamaru and Choji stopped running as soon as Asuma signaled for them to stop, but Ino and Sakura. The two were too close to the finish line to stop. The two girls were butting heads as they sprinted towards the finish line which was a white chalked line on the ground.

"Twenty of your currency says Sakura will win," I challenged.

He gave me another confused look before nodding. "I'll take that."

"Go Sakura! I bet money on you and I'm broke! SO GET MOVING!" I yelled, cupping my hands around my mouth. I watched as Sakura and Ino butted heads as they sprinted to the finish line. Inch by inch one came in front of the other, making me unable to tell who was going to win. I had confidence in Sakura, she had been training harder before Ino. But then again Sakura could be insecure when Ino commented.

"SHANNARO!"

Sakura pushed through with the last of her strength and raced ahead of Ino. She crossed the line with a victorious yell and pumped her hands in the air. Ino crossed a few seconds after with a defeated yelp. The two girls began to argue over who won but they both knew it was Sakura. The girl celebrated with delighted cheers and squeals. I was almost blinded by the happiness.

Meanwhile, I was celebrated with jumping around and shaking Asuma's shoulder. "Did you see that? Huh? That's my girl! Yoooooooo!" I circled him with a few jumps and skips but calmed down relatively quick. I took in a slow breath to calm myself and grinned. "I'd like my money now, sir."

Asuma grumbled something more about more training and handed me my well earned money. "I don't know how much this can buy me but sweet. I'm no longer broke." I shoved the money into my pockets greedily and walked to Sakura to congratulate her.

I patted her on the back and smiled. "Good job Sakura, you cut it a little close but I knew you'd win. I even bet on you, so guess what, I'm not broke anymore! After this we can head down to Ichiraku and eat, sound good?" I questioned, resting my hand on her shoulder.

Sakura looked up at me, red in the face, and smiled. She caught her breath before speaking and straightened up. "Really?"

"Yeah really, you did a really good job. If you didn't have weights on your ankles you would have definitely beat me. Only if I had some training..." I trailed with a disappointed look. I wanted some training. I wanted to defend myself against others and possibly go toe to toe with other ninja. I mostly wanted some kind of training for the awesome factor but not dying would be cool too.

Plus, I could get to Ame by myself if Obito doesn't come or the others. I could defend myself and get to Ame without being killed. The second I would enter Ame the rain would catch me and Pein would know I'm there and I would be safe. I could see June, she'd be safe with me. She always is.

Thinking about this gave me a new motivation. I needed some type of training.

I turned away from Sakura and marched up to Asuma. "I need you to train me!"

"What?"

"You heard me. I can't be here forver and what will happen to me the second I step out of the village, huh? I'll have my guts strung like a clothesline! We don't want that, so train me! I'll work really hard! I can't give you something right now but I'll repay. I promised Sakura the same, I'll repay you both!"

Asuma shook his head. "Ashton, I already have a team. I can't-"

"Yes you can! I'll work so hard! I promise, even if I don't have chakra I'll try my hardest," I pleaded, cupping my hands together and bowing my head.

"Ashton, you have to have chakra. You'd be dead otherwise. I can sense some type of-"

"What did we talk about early? I don't have chakra," I snapped. I took in a deep and calmed myself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap that way."

Asuma let out a deep sigh, remembering what I told him about my chakra. Just last week I told him of my predicament. Asuma swore I had some kind of chakra but I disagreed. He figured I wouldn't be able to train because of my handicap. That couldn't stop me though, people in my world do insane things and don't have chakra. I decked Hidan in the face multiple times and he killed... Asuma...

I shook my head and tried ignoring the fact, despite it looming in the back of my head. I looked at Asuma with a frown and nodded. "I understand, it's fine."

"Look," he puffed another cloud of smoke from his cigarette and I watched it curiously, "show me what you got. You said you'd fight my students so I'm holding you accountable for that."

"Thank you!" I saluted him and grinned happily. "I'm ready to rumble, right now!"

Asuma let out a deep chuckle and waved for his students plus Sakura to come closer. His students approached, all finally fully rested and not red in the face. They lined up for him, ready for any kind of command. Before Asuma could give out his instructions his students false façade of attentiveness faded and they started to complain.

"That was so troublesome, even a woman beat me," Shikamaru sighed, his hands shoving themselves into his pockets.

Choji groaned and threw his head back. "I'm kinda hungry, can we go get something to eat?"

Asuma cut them off. "No, I want one of you to fight Ashton. I want," Asuma hummed as he eyed his students plus Sakura, "Ino. You and Ashton are to spar. No jutsu-"

"No! She can go for it. I want to prove to you I'm strong. Plus, I have some tricks up my sleeve," No I don't, "so don't worry."

"Ashton, no. Ino is a trained shinobi, she'll seriously injure you if-"

"Shhhh," I looked to Ino, "just keep it to a minimum, sweetie. I'll be fine. So come on." I waved my hand and walked away. "Though it'd be appreciated if you didn't use any weapons, as you can see I don't have any."

Asuma groaned but let me go nonetheless. He motion for Ino to follow me and stood in the middle of us. "This is how it will go, first one down for five seconds loses. No weapons, Ino keep the jutsu down to a minimum and please don't hurt her too badly. Shizune would kill me."

He put his hand out. "Hajime!" he shouted before jumping back.

Ino sized me up, slowly circling me. My past experiences in the ring would come in handy now. I was a boxer and within the past year of Hidan and Kisame me techniques, I could fight her easily. I knew how to defend and strike, even Itachi offered to show my a few stances. I knew styles of fighting from almost every village. Ino only knew one, and that was her clan's style and basic academy training. I'd also bet on Asuma showing her some moves but you know how it is.

I put my hands up and barely bounced my fists up and down, ready to strike. Ino came at me first like I was hoping. Her leg came up to kick me in the stomach but I jumped back and threw her leg down. She was agile, she liked to jump side to side then strike, but there was something to her fighting that was crude. Much like Asuma's style of fighting.

Ino came at me again, but almost relentlessly. One leg after the other then a fist. I blocked each kick and punch until she gracefully flipped back. Her hands came together and two clones appeared next to her. 'Not shadow clones, though,' I noted. These illusions would disappear with a swat. Plus, they can't hit me, they're only here to confuse me.

I looked down at the feet of all three Inos. These clones can't crush the grass or have shadows, and since it was a decently sunny day, despite the cold, I could see one distinct shadow. I grinned internally and charged the identical posse of girls. Ino seemed surprised by this action but kept running nonetheless. I went straight to a strike and dodge. I extended my arm to punch the original Ino and rolled out of the way.

The clones disappeared and Ino held her jaw before glaring at me. I decided to make her angry and give her a smirk. "Come at me, girly. Hit me."

She ran at me again and raised her leg to hit my chest. I grabbed onto her leg and tried throwing her down but she twisted around instead and kicked me in the neck. I gasped for air and staggered back. Ino took her opportunity and punched me in the gut. I whipped forward to cover my gut on instinct and grabbed her head in the process. I head butted her before launching her to the ground.

Ino skidded back and rolled to a standing position. She put her hands together and made a discreet hand sign before dropping to the ground. I stood in confusion and looked around. What kind of jutsu makes the user pass out, how badly could one mess up where they knock themselves out. I pointed her and started to laugh. "Are you an idiot? She just passed out!" I cried, holding my stomach. I scrunched my eyes shut, trying to control my laughter, but when I opened them I wasn't standing where I was. I was in total darkness, though I could see my hands just fine.

I felt sleepy and my limbs weighed so much more. More than a truck. More than the Earth itself.

I realized I was the idiot and Ino was a Yamanaka. She could enter my mind; mind transfer jutsu. How could I fall for such an easy technique? I could legit loose to this! I'm going to loose and Asuma won't train me! I'll be trapped in Konoha my whole life because I can't defend myself! June needs me! Get out of my head!

I looked around for anything and only saw Ino in front of me. I moved to her but I was not able to reach her with legs and arms cemented to the ground. I felt a rush of cold sadness and white hot anger flash through me at the same time. She won't win because I have to get to June.

With my cement like body I slowly walked over to her. "Get out of my head," I cried softly, slowly reaching out to her. She looked behind herself and her face looked horrified. Like I wasn't supposed to be up. She put her hands out to stop me but I grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.

"You're not supposed to be here," she murmured. She looked at me closer before her eyes widened slightly.

The sadness that washed over me made me feel hopeless. The anger than came next made me feel stronger. The mixture made a scared animal who was corner. Hopeless but strong, and with that feeling of desperation it created something weirdly capable.

I balled the collar of her shirt till my knuckles were white and glared. I lifted her further up and gave out my battle cry. "Get out of my head!" I screamed, throwing her down.

She stumbled back and I was outside, in my own body again. She was getting up from her position on the floor with a frightened look, but that face soon faded into determination. I stomped up to her and kicked her shoulder. "Get out of my head! Don't do that ever again!"

She latched onto my leg and flipped me onto the ground then jumped onto my stomach before elegantly flipping off. I groaned in pain and hugged my stomach. That move knocked the wind out of me but I stood up. What is Konoha feeding these kids? She should not be able to feel like five hundred pounds, but then again a normal kid shouldn't be able to enter my mind.

She climbed me like a jungle gym and latched onto my neck before pushing off with her knee. "What is with you and the neck today?" I growled, covering my neck from the blond menace. She shrugged before charged at me one again. I kicked up and she dodged my leg before jumping over me and kicking me from behind. I stumbled forward but rolled to save my fall. As she came at me again I grabbed onto her shoulder then her arm. I violently twisted her arm behind her back and jerked up. She cried out in pain and I dragged her to the ground.

"Onetwothreefourfive!" I screamed, hoping the fast count down would work.

Asuma rested a hand on my shoulder and I looked behind him, wondering how long he was behind me. "You can get off of Ino now," he said, slowly pulling me away.

I let go of Ino and offered her a hand up. She took it and bowed her head, I then copied her action. "You're not bad, Ashton. You're pretty strong, but I have one question for you. I don't mean to embarrass you but do you have," she gestured to find the right word, "a disorder. Mentally speaking."

I cocked my head to the side. "Umm, how'd you find that out? Yeah, I'm kinda bipolar," I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, "well not kinda. I am. It's kinda bad. I've been without my meds for as long as I've been here." I looked down, embarrassed that she found out. I was going to tell Shizune, but I couldn't. I didn't want her staring at me like I was crazy.

Ino put her finger in the air as if she had made a great discovery. "I thought so, no wonder you could break out of my jutsu."

"Umm, wanna educate me?"

Ino nodded and crossed her arms. "Mind Transfer can be broken by a man or woman who is strong willed or minded. Also, someone with a bipolar disorder can break if they are violent minded. I figured you just had a strong will, but then I saw... umm, I saw how angry and upset you were," she gave me a nervous smile, "sorry I was invading your space. Are you okay?"

I patted her head with a good natured smile. "Don't worry about it, you wanted to win. It's fine and thanks for the worry. I'm fine! Go clean yourself up, I should be apologizing. I don't like beating on kids. Good job, girly."

She smiled warmly before skipping away to clean herself up. Before I could say anything to Asuma, Sakura crashed into me. She was smiling brightly and she looked up at me. "I didn't know you could fight! Where'd you learn all that?"

I patted her head and snickered. "Where I come from I did a lot of fighting for fun, like boxing. I was a champ in the ring. Plus, I have a few friends who showed me a few moves." I ruffled her hair and she flicked my hand away.

Shikamaru and Choji approached. "That was good Ashton," Choji commented, snacking on a bag of chips. He held out the bag to me and lightly shook it. "Want one?"

I smiled and picked out a chip. "Thanks Choji, you're so sweet."

He smiled in turn and looked to Shikamaru. "Shikamaru thought you were good too, isn't that right."

The shadow user rolled his eyes, his hands behind his head and his feet kicking at the ground. "Whatever, you weren't bad. It was interesting."

I looked at both boys, who were adorable, and ruffled both of their hair. "Thanks, you guys wanna eat now?"

Choji perked up at this and nodded. "Yes!"

* * *

It was after our meal and we were sitting on a bench outside of the restaurant we were in. I sat back with my hat pulled over my eyes and resting. I listened to the children talking to each other. Especially Ino and Sakura, who were talking animatedly between each other. The two argued who was better back and forth and who was going to learn a medical technique faster than the other. Shikamaru was cloud gazing and Choji and Asuma were chatting quietly. I felt quite content at the moment, especially since Ino was offering me some medication since all of mine was at home. I have felt shaky lately, easily agitated and saddened. But now I'd be getting my medication tomorrow from Shizune.

Asuma even agreed to train me. During our feast he decided to help me train. Even if my 'disability' would make things harder. Though Asuma kept on insiting that I had some form of chakra, I didn't believe him. Only June had chakra and what creeper is going to force their chakra into me while I'm sleeping, there would be no point to it.

"Asuma-sensei!" Ino called, waving her hand excitedly. "Did you know Ashton can tell the future?"

I choked on air and sat up hastily. Asuma raised his brow and looked to Ino then me. "Oh really? Who told you that?"

"Sakura! She said Ashton told her about her future? What about me? Ashton tell me something!" Ino pleaded, tugging on my arm like an excited child.

I rubbed the back of my head and smiled nervously. "Sakura," I bit out. "This was our little secret. I can't actually predict anything important anything. I didn't even tell Sakura the future, it's more like insight, you know?" I looked to Sakura and threw her a quick glare.

"Now you have me interested, Ashton. First you come out of nowhere claiming you have no chakra then you have technology I've never seen, and now you can tell the future," Asuma chuckled, gesturing for me to go on.

I huffed and crossed my arms, clearly agitated. "Okay, but don't expect me to spit out your death date. I don't know any of that stuff. Just little things," I lied, puffing out my cheeks. I looked to Ino and hummed. "Let's see here. There's this boy you like, he's not here in the village right now and you want to date him."

Ino nodded, her eyes sparkling with hope. "Buuuuut, you and this boy don't get together. In fact you and this boy rarely talk anymore. On the brightside though there will be another boy and he'll have the palest skin. No joke, though he'll love you more than anything and he loves to draw. Anyways, you love shopping, you had wonderful grades in the academy might I add, annnnnd you like pudding. Also stop the extreme dieting, you look good, girl.".

Ino gasped and squealed. "I meet boy and he'll love me _more_ than anything! Wow! Ashton, you're like a miracle teller! An oracle!" she cried joyfully, ignoring that I told her to stop dieting so extremely.

"No, no, no. Nothing like that! Where I come from people can tell the future of certain people or places, even if they don't know them," I chuckled. "Anybody else before I get too annoyed to say anything?"

Choji waved his hand and I smiled at the sweet boy. "Okay, you don't like fighting and you are a pacifist but you'll fight anyone if food is involved, though me too buddy. Me too," I took off my hat to comb through my hair, "you become a tank, not gonna lie. You meet a pretty woman from Kumo village and you once fought some guy named Jirubo. I don't know anything about him except you won Choji, good job."

The boy nodded in approve ad continued to snack. "That was cool Ashton, Shikamaru, you should go."

I rubbed my hands together. "Shikamaru Nara, you're an interesting one. Boy genius with zero motivation. Cloud watcher by day and shogi player by night. You fought Kin and Temari in the exams; you won against Kin and could have won against Temari, but that's a lot of work. You become even smarter and stronger. You become so smart you assist the future Hokage and you're future wife as met you before. She's a wonderful woman by the way, though you'll think it's gross now." I leaned closer to him. I didn't want this to turn into a serious conversation and make Asuma think I can predict anything important but I had to give him so type of warning. "Work on some running away strategies. Like retreating."

I thought of Hidan killing Asuma and Shikamaru crying for a moment.

"Why do I have to-"

"Don't know. I do know what I know but I don't know what I'm talking about like you don't know. No more questions. Asuma your turn," I said quickly.

He rolled his eyes. "Aren't you special?"

"You don't believe me, do you? Very well then, I'm going to have to embarrass you." I cupped my hands around my mouth and sucked in a deep breath. "Asuma looooves Kurenai! You want babies together!"

Asuma went red and began to try to shut me up. "Ashton, shh!"

"Haha, nope! You didn't believe me! You love sausage and soba and Kurenai! In fact you do get a child! Ha!"

The man was dying now and I felt a twinge of pity. I patted his shoulder. "Sorry man, you gotta respect me or else."

He shook his head and calmed himself. "You really do have a talent or you just stalk people. How do you have this ability? What can you do with it?" he asked, now interested in what I had to say.

"I just kinda do know and I can only 'see' the little things in life. I like moving around because if some guy thinks I can predict his attack or mission he'll imprison me, probably. Nada, nope, no can do. Just little things like that," I laughed, scratching at my neck. "But yeah, my little odd talent!"

Asuma stroked his beard as if he were thinking. "Hmm, interesting."

* * *

 **So now Ashton is training! The only reason she can beat Ino is because she has not stepped up her training. Ashton has had experience fighting before and her raging bipolar disorder, for once, helped her. Otherwise she would have lost, but she is also training more so... Who do you guys want to see Ashton interact more with? Kakashi, Shizune, more Konoha 11? Anyways, I want to thank all my reviewers, followers, favoriters, and lurkers. I don't thank you guys enough. So thank you for all the support!**

 **Fun Fact- Ashton used to dislike Sakura's character, but after getting to know she appreciates her more. Also, Ashton's number one fear right now is being trapped in Konoha forever.**

 **A- Best breakfast is bacon pancakes~**

 **Q- Any character appearances you want?**

 **That's it for now, till next time!**


	12. When to see old friends: Part 1

Serenity's POV

It's officially been one week since I've been here. Naruto and I were sitting on the ground outside of the tavern and meditating. My phone was playing a few songs from Halsey in the background. The music was quite and it helped me think while Naruto didn't mind it. The boy said he liked my music, especially any of the upbeat Spanish songs I played.

I would dance a few numbers for him and then show him how to dance. He was a quick learner. In turn, he would fight his shadow clones and then show me some basic techniques. He loved the Spanish and breakdancing the best and I liked any of the techniques that involved jumping or flipping. Jiraiya would then teach us how to keep meditating, even with a disturbance in the room.

If the sage wasn't so perverted I'd say he's the ideal teacher. Danna and Itachi took the cake for best teachers though. Danna just knew what it took for me to learn, whenever he was teaching me how to draw better. He'd sit me down and have me draw with him. And Itachi was just patient, which I appreciated.

I took in a deep breath and started to stretch. I've been meditating for two hours now and it's not easy to sit down for long. Though I'm doing it, I'm proud of myself. Naruto was about done too because he was fidgeting and grunting in irritation. I poked at his cheek and he cracked his eye open.

"Are you done too?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, I need to walk, wanna come with?" I asked, standing up.

He nodded and I offered him a hand to stand up. He took my hand and stood up. We quietly walked down a street that slowly lead to a small market. Naruto and Jiraiya had to educate me on the geography of this world. We were in Kusa, the Land Hidden in the Grass. It was close to Ame, the land Hidden in the Rain, how appropriate... From what Jiraiya has told me it has been raining there for many years none stop. He told me he didn't know why, but I did. Pein was causing it.

Jiraiya educated me on Ame to the fullest of his abilities. He told me Ame ninja were very strong compared to other villages. Ame trained their ninja to their full potential, this also means the village is full of many original techniques. A common trait of Ame ninja were short tempers and gas masks. Ame was hailed as a genius when it came to assassination and was usually hired for that area of expertise. Security is very tight, the borders are sealed to almost everyone. To get through one must have papers and go through multiple check points.

Naruto lead me down the streets and gave me a grin. "Seri, tell me more about your home! Like the metal things!"

"The cars?" I giggled.

"Yeah!" he yelled, throwing his hand in the hair excitedly.

"Okay," I giggled, ruffling his messy hair. "What haven't I told you?" I hummed for a moment, trying to think of something to say. "They come in all kind of colors and shapes. Some are small and only fit two people and other huge vans can fit eight people. And make loud noises, like "Vrooomm!""

"Vroom?"

"Yes, vroom."

"Can you show me one?" he asked, sitting down on a nearby bench.

I sat down next to him and took out my phone. With a few clicks I was showing him our van. "That's a van. We can fit more than ten people in it, but that's only if we squish," I showed him my motorcycle, "and that's my motorcycle. Isn't she a beauty?" He nodded and I went on. "And my friend Ashton got new truck, the back is meant for hauling stuff. Then buses are meant for carry kids off to school for 'bout fourteen years of their life, but that's only if they go to preschool."

Naruto made a disgusted face and scrunched up his nose. "Fourteen years! That's dumb. I hated the academy and I wasn't there for fourteen years. Were you in school for that long?"

"About, I didn't go to preschool or kindergarten. I wasn't in my home yet. I was adopted when I was five," I said, tapping my phone to find a picture of young me.

Naruto gasped lightly. "You were an orphan too?"

"Yep, but I don't remember a lot of it. Just a lot of heat and running," I sighed, now annoyed by the fact I couldn't remember anything. The fact that I can only remember heat and running bothered me. I know I was young, but I should be able to remember more.

"Do any of the older kids get adopted?" Naruto questioned.

I patted him on the shoulder. "Yeah, they can." But when I saw his face I sighed. The older kids didn't get adopted, it was a rare opportunity. The fact I was adopted was a miracle and I was five. "But who needs that? You have your sensei, you two seem close. He's more of a father than anyone will ever be to you." Sorry Iruka.

He nodded, taking in my words slowly. "Okay, thanks." His smiled returned and I ruffled the boy's hair.

"You are just the cutest thing. I think you may beat Deidara and that boy is adorable," I played with his hair a little more before letting go, "you have soft hair by the way."

He cocked his head to the side. "Thanks?" His voice hitching at the end, amplifying his confusion.

"You're welcome. So tell me about your..." I squinted my eyes into the crowd, thinking I saw a familiar head. "Wait a second." I stood up on the bench and looked around, the familiar head of yellow disappeared. "I swear I saw 'em. Come on Naruto, I think I saw one of my friends." I grabbed his wrist before he could reject and dragged him through the crowd.

We weaved through the crowd before Naruto questioned me. "Where are we going? Who did you see? Is it important? Tell me more!" he demanded, tugging against my grip.

I let go of him and sighed. "I thought I saw my Deidara. I swear I saw his ponytail bouncing in the crowd."

"I'll help you, describe him to me," Naruto said, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

I took in a deep breath, calming myself. "Yeah, okay. Deidara is shorter than me and has bright, blond hair like you. He always wears half his long hair in a ponytail and the rest should be around his waist, maybe shorter. He walks with this skip in his step and like explosions," I explained, looking out into the crowd. "He really likes art, he gets so mad when someone contradicts his art. He thinks its fleeting, like an explosion-"

"ART IS DUMB!" Naruto yelled loudly.

I flinched at his tone of voice and he shrugged with a sheepish grin. He shrugged. "I thought it would help. If he likes art as much as you do then I thought he'd respond."

I giggled. "That's not a bad idea." I ruffled his hair. "Good job," I drew in a deep breath, "ART IS ETERNAL!"

"ART SUCKS!"

"ART IS MOVEMENT!"

"ART MEANS NOTHING!"

"ART IS NOT FLEETING, IT'S-"

"ART! IS! AN! EXPLOSION!"

An explosion ripped through the market place, sending civilians shrieking in terror. People ran towards us with frightened explosions and I could hear more crackles of explosions.

I grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and grinned. "We found him, Naruto, thank you!" I pulled the boy into a tight hug. I was ready to run to them, I wanted Naruto and Deidara to meet but Deidara would be wearing an Akatsuki cloak. Naruto would think the worst of me and I'd be an enemy. That couldn't happen. I felt bad for running off without thanking him more, but I had too. For Deidara.

I loosened my fierce hug and looked at him. "Thank you so much Naruto. I believe in you, be safe, honey. Train hard, get your friend back, become Hokage! You'll be fine. I wish I could do more for you." I bit my lip and looked to the crowd, feeling guilt weighing upon my soul. I decided a bit of insight would not hurt him so I continued.

"Happiness will come. You'll have a lovely wife and children. I know you'll become Hokage and you and Sasuke will be buddies again. Befriend your fellow Jinchuriki and learn some chakra control. Don't eat ramen everyday and most of all don't charge into a battle, especially with orange haired weirdos. You'll get a happy ending! You just have to wait!" I cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead. "Tell Jiraiya thank you, I got to go. I hope I see you again, Uzumaki Naruto!" I gave him one last quick hug before running off.

"Serenity, wait!" he yelled, reaching out for me, but the chaos of the crowd and his resolve prevented him from catching me. I talked about my friends so much he knew it was my time to go. I was ready to go as well and as the crowd screamed I felt a rush of excitement. These people were seeing art, not true art, but art nonetheless. They should be excited because they were being enlightened. The shrills and shrieks made me happy in a sadistic way because it gave me a rush. A thrill.

I spotted a head of blond hair angrily throwing clay into the air, yelling profanities and his view on art. Deidara was swearing to the heavens and trying to control the blonde by holding his arms together was Hidan. He was clearly failing because Deidara still had an arm free. Hidan swore at Deidara to shut up, causing me to squeal at the familiar scene.

The two had their backs to me and I took this as my opportunity to scare the crap outta them. I charged right into Deidara and Hidan to tackle them to the ground. Hidan and Deidara both whipped around, as if I was an enemy but the moment they saw my face the two relaxed. I hugged their heads close to my chest and cried out happily. Hidan pushed me away but Deidara threw his arms around me and I hugged him back fiercely. We were on the ground and he was almost lying on top of me. I let out a few sniffles and tears because I was so happy.

I stroked his hair to calm him as his head was buried in my neck. "I missed you so much, hon," I murmured, petting his hair. He looked like a kid here, even though he was far from it. I didn't hear him make any sounds, all he did was hold onto me. I tried pushing him away but he wouldn't let go. I cooed at this and kissed the top of his head.

He shook his head and kept hugging me. His arms hugging me even tighter and his face burying itself further in my neck. He was painfully silent, I began to worry. I let out a soft giggle. "Come on now, you didn't miss me this much, did you? You're a criminal, compose yourself, honey," I teased, slightly tugging him off of me.

Deidara took a moment to leave the safety of my embrace and look me in the eye. His eyes were as blue as always, maybe bluer and completely dry, unlike my eyes. I cupped his cheeks and drew his forehead to mine. "I missed you so, so, so much. Are you okay?"

He drew back and cleared his throat. "Yeah, I am, hmm. What about you?" His voice was dry and sounded like we were having a casual conversation, as if we had seen each other yesterday.

I dusted off my shirt. "I'm good. We're good." I began to laugh and he did as well. Deidara was the first to stand up and he helped me up. He looked taller and older already, but he was a teenager, of course he grew so quick. "Did you get taller? I think you did."

He chuckled and brushed off his cloak. "I did."

I smiled then wiped my eyes. Tears were annoying.

I turned to Hidan to see him looking away awkwardly. His Akatsuki cloak was open and of course he wasn't wearing a shirt underneath. I rolled my eyes, it was probably because he had no clean shirts. I held out my arms and walked to him. "Come here," I giggled, pulling him into a hug.

"Whatever, woman," he sighed, hugging me back as well.

I set my chin on his shoulder and sighed. "I'm really sorry. I was acting very rude to you before you left. So, sorry."

He pushed me away then patted my head. "I don't care about that crap anymore."

"Good," I giggled, hugging myself contently. "Why are you guys here?"

"Didn't June freaking text you?" Hidan huffed and crossed his arms. "Blonde was supposed to tell you we came lookin' for you. Now we're here and ready to take you to Ame."

"Oh, Ame. Sorry, I forgot."

Hidan lightly bopped me on the head and I giggled. "Ditz." He looked me over, head to toe, then toe to head. I was going to scold him for it but he beat me to speaking. "What are you wearing?"

I looked down, I was still wearing Jiraiya's clothes. Mine were wrecked. I had on his baggy top and pants, but the good thing about it were the pockets. I could shove my phone and everything else I needed in one pocket! Isn't that wonderful! "I'm wearing Jiraiya's clothes," I said, a bit embarrassed by that fact.

"Whoever the heck he is, he dresses like a hobo. Blonde sent me with clothes for you," he looked down and picked up a bag I had not noticed, "go change."

I took the bag and headed for the nearest bathroom. There I changed into some more fitting clothing. I knew the clothes did not belong to June because she didn't own a kimono. I dressed in a black kimono that was more than comfortable. The sleeves were a bit too long, but kept me warm and the kimono ended at me ankle with a slit that went to my knee. I was able to put my hair up and for once in a few days I did not look like total crap.

I exited the bathroom and Hidan and Deidara waited for me outside. "Thanks, it fits nicely."

"No problem, woman," Hidan said. He ran his fingers through his hair and awkwardly held his hands out. "Ready to leave?"

I nodded and walked over to the two quietly, feeling awkward about the situation. We haven't seen each other in what seems like months, but it wasn't like Hidan to give up a fight so easily. He wasn't swearing as much or Deidara wasn't messing with him like usual. I shook my head, it was just because we were still settling. Hidan wasn't the touchy feely type, of course he'd be hesitant.

Hidan scooped me up and I let out a small squeak, not expecting the sudden action. "Come on," he grunted, walking off with me in his arms.

"Hidan, I can walk you know. You don't have to carry me," I said, wiggling out of his grip.

He shook his head. "We're not walking, we're running. I want to get to the base as soon as possible. The sooner we get there the sooner blonde will quit her whining."

I let out a soft "oh" and let him continue to carry me. Deidara followed close by and the moment we approached the edge of a forest the two started jumping onto the trees. I squealed out of shock and excitement as they jumped tree to tree. It was thrilling, but scary. "Don't drop me," I murmured, grabbing onto Hidan's cloak.

"Like this?" Hidan questioned, letting go of me.

I screamed as I plummeted to the earth. The wind whipping by me was deafening and the occasional tree scratching me was irritating. Hidan swoped down to catch me and the moment I was done falling I gripped his cloak. "You're so mean! Hidan!" I scolded, hitting his chest with my fist.

He laughed at me and I whined. "Ugh! So mean!"

Deidara decided to laugh now, to the point where Hidan and him had to slow. "I'm sorry Seri, just your face, yeah," he snickered, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I hope one of you crashes into a tree!" I yelled, a pout adorning my face. I crossed my arms and sunk into Hidan's arms.

Hidan chuckled again but didn't retort. I looked up at him and jabbed at his throat. His smile faded and he gagged before sputtering then coughing. Spit flew onto my face and I groaned. "Ewwww," I whined, wiping my cheek.

"I might have to drop you again," Hidan threatened playfully, slowly loosening his grip on me.

I shook my head frantically. "Nope! Nada! No thank you!"

The sadist smirked and I sighed. "So, why did you two get me. Where's Kakuzu or Sasori?"

"Sasori is still in his workshop, hmm. He's been working on his puppet body for the past few months. He'll be done soon," Deidara jumped closer to us so I could hear better, "so over the past few months I've been going out on missions by myself or with another group, hmm. Pein assigned Hidan and I to go look for you because he thought the both of us could find you better. Kakuzu was going to hang back at the base and let Itachi and Kisame leave to find Ashton, but the Uchiha wanted to stay with June, yeah. Pein then deployed Kisame and Kakuzu together."

I nodded, soaking in the information. I was a bit disappointed Sasori didn't want his human body back but that was his decision. I wished everything was going well with Sasori as well, his kind of work could be tedious and frustrating sometimes. Back in our world he'd get wooden materials to teach me how to make small puppets. I have two I made all by myself but creating them was so hard and frustrating. One wrong measurement and the rest of the puppet could be disproportional. I also thought of poor Deidara, he had to go on missions alone and without had to face certain death without Danna and not have back up...

"Are you okay? You shouldn't have to go on missions all by yourself! You could get hurt or even killed! Why didn't Pein assign you to the Zombies or even the... Kisame and Itachi." Those two really needed a name. "Or you could have stayed home with Sasori and worked on your sculptures for a few months or you could have gone with Zetsu to work on stealth. For Jashin's sake Pein could have partnered you up with Tobi!" I twisted in Hidan's grip to reach Deidara's face. Hidan tugged me back in turn.

Deidara made a disgusted face. "Tobi? Never! He's an incompetent idiot, hmm. And that Uchiha, he's too arrogant to work with! He'd be showing off his sharingan every minute of the day to threaten me!" Deidara yelled angrily.

"I called it! I knew she'd flip the moment you said Sasori wasn't with you! Does Dei-chan need his Seri to come on missions with him? Does he want Seri to make him a baggy lunch every mission?" Hidan teased, lightly bullying Deidara. Hidan made a kissy face to tease Deidara some more, making the boy blush in return. "Do you want another hug? Because the way you were hugging her sure wasn't how an Akatsuki member would act."

I pinched Hidan's cheek harshly. "Don't tease him! I'd gladly come with Deidara every mission and make him meals. It's hard living the life you guys live and he needs all the help he can get so he can fight. Plus, I make filling meals that he would appreciate and my hugs are great for your information!" I scolded, tapping Hidan's chest.

Hidan but is lip, clearly upset that I won this argument. He didn't say anything in response. "That's what I thought-"

He dropped me and Deidara was the one who had to dart after me. Long story short I was quiet the rest of the day until the two decided to set up camp. They made a fire and cooked some fish. It was like a camping trip. I was thoroughly pleased with this too, I snuggled up by the fire and ate fish while talk animatedly with my boys.

They told me about what they did the past six months and their missions. I listened till midnight and ended the day with some meditation. I silently thanked Jiraiya because meditation helped me cool down. Hidan crashed right away and offered to take a watch shift after Deidara. The boy had no word in the conversation but agreed anyways. I was lying on the ground, safely wrapped up in a spare cloak the two brought for me. I was ready to dose off before I noticed Deidara staring intently at the fire.

I touched his hand, startling him for a split second. "Go to sleep, hon. You need some sleep," I insisted, sitting up straight.

"Nah, I can keep watch, hmm," he argued quietly.

"I don't want you to. Here," I wrapped the cloak around him and smiled, "close your eyes for a bit, I'll wake you when I'm ready to pass out." Before he could protest I patted his shoulder and drew his head closer to mine. "I've been so worried about you, please just rest."

He nodded and lied down on the soft grass. I softly playing with his hair as he rested and I watched the fire. It was warm and relaxing, lightly burning my cheeks. I looked down at Deidara, he looked so peaceful when he slept. I felt like a few tons of steel were taken off of me knowing he was okay. I didn't know if I was going to ever see him again, I didn't know if he'd heed my advice and stay away from Sasuke.

Knowing Hidan was safe took another few tons off of my shoulders. He may not be the brightest crayon in the box but he could take care of himself. Hidan was impulsive and any advice I gave him that did not seem important right away would be dismissed. I tried dropping by advice every now and that he should be careful but he never seemed to listen to my advice. He never did listen to me even if I was talking.

I drew in a deep breath and placed my hands together. Some meditation wouldn't hurt me. It'd take my mind off of the stress and of Ashton. I just hope she's fine.

* * *

Naruto closed the door behind him and sighed. The boy's hands were sore. After Serenity left he decided to practice his rasengan. He tried over and over till he could get the sphere bigger. It tested his chakra control. He did manage to make the ninjutsu bigger, but not without hurting his leg as well. Life of a shinobi was hard but Naruto accepted it. He was going to become Hokage after all. People were counting on him. Serenity believed in him.

The man behind the counter eyed Naruto and the boy stared back. Now that Naruto thought of it, the man behind the counter was kinda creepy. Always watching and listening in on conversations. The man behind the counter set down the glass he was cleaning and gestured for Naruto. "Excuse young man, but wasn't Ms. Serenity with you? Where is she?"

Naruto walked over to the man. "She found her friends and ran off. She was pretty excited! Should have seen her," Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

The man behind the counter raised his brow. "Did you see who her friends were?"

Naruto shook his head. "Sorry," he shrugged, "I didn't see who they were. I gave up chasing her after I lost her in the crowd." It was a blatant lie that Naruto was ashamed of. He did see Serenity's friends and he choose not to believe he saw them.

Naruto would never just give up on chasing down a friend. Why would he stop chasing her? He was worried for her. But when she crashed into two men she looked so happy. Naruto forced himself to look away, but the red clouds on their cloaks were to brilliant of a shade. Naruto couldn't ignore who the men were, he knew they were Akatsuki. He was about to start a fight. He was going to take them out and take Serenity back. He was going to tell her these men were vile, evil. She was smart but she wasn't from here. She did not know the geography or honorifics. How could she have known her friends were Akatsuki? She could not have known.

Just when he was ready to charge with rasengan in hand Naruto heard her cry out joyfully. The blond of the two was buried in her arms, not saying a word while she hugged him fiercely. Naruto could feel the love radiating off of her. She looked happy when she was around Naruto, but now she looked even happier. He couldn't bring himself to interrupt their moment.

She was cupping the blonde's cheeks then hugging the other man. The other man was teasing her and she was giggling. Naruto knew, she knew exactly who they were. He walked away after the trio started to walk away and contemplated if he should tell his sensei. Serenity told him his sensei was family, the closet kind and family told each other secrets. Though, Naruto cherished every friend he made and silently promised himself he wouldn't tell Jiraiya the truth.

He just wished he never saw what he did.

The man behind the counter took Naruto's word and moved on. When the boy went to his sensei he told Jiraiya Serenity saw her friend in the crowd and ran to them. Naruto didn't lie about her kissing his forehead or telling him she believed him, but he did lie when he said he couldn't find her in the crowd and that she told him the future. She was gone. Jiraiya took his word and ruffled his hair, saying, "She's with her friends and family now. We shouldn't worry. She's safe."

Naruto just hoped so.

* * *

 **I was debating letting Naruto lie because he's an honest boy, but then again he'll do anything for a friend. Even the people he just meets and befriends he'll do a lot for. So Naruto just had good intentions. And Deidara, I did not want him crying because if that child can take _his arms being ripped_ off without a tear then he'd be able to see Serenity. I think's he's just the kind of person to freeze up in emotional circumstances.**

 **Fun fact- Serenity is accustomed to doing most of the chores in the house because when her brother was sick her mom had to pick up more work and Serenity was left to care for the house. And out of all the Akatsuki Itachi is most likely to dump his laundry on Serenity. Hidan comes close in second though.**

 **A- I'm thinking of bringing Danzo in again/**

 **Q- If you could go to any world, be it your own or some other universe, where would you go?**

 **Thanks for ready! Till next time!**


	13. When to see old friends: Part 2

June's POV

"It's cute," I murmured, looking to Konan and then back at the room.

Konan, Itachi, and I were inside the baby's nursery. It was painted a lovely, light teal and the furniture in the room was a white. The floors were adorned with fine dark brown wood and the white painted crib already looked ready for a baby to be put down. The blankets were laid and a mobile swayed back and forth soundlessly above it. The mobile was of origami animals. It rocked back and forth ever so slightly as I observed the room. The paper animals were that of wild animals and there was no mistake in each fold. Konan poured so much effort into such ornaments.

There were shelves already full of diapers, soft hair brushes and small plush toys. Each item looked very expensive, but knowing Pein and Konan the items were most likely reasonably prices or hand made. I let my hand brush across the dresser, it was of the highest quality. I examined the dresser until I noticed a symbol in the corner, it was a scorpion. I let out an amused snicker. "Sasori built this for you?" I ask, lightly tracing the symbol.

Konan nodded. "You would be surprised how much of the furniture in this base is made by Sasori. He usually agrees to build furniture for extra payment or supplies. This dresser was more of a gift. It's a bit more than just a baby dresser." She opened one of the drawers and removed the bottom board to reveal a small hidden chamber. It held kunai knives and a smoke bomb. She placed the board back and smiled. "We are still shinobi. I still want to take precautions for my baby."

"I agree," Itachi said, opening another drawer to look for another hidden chamber.

Konan sat down in a nearby rocking chair and let out a huff. "This is more tiring than I thought it would be," she sighed, resting her hand on her stomach. "I hate not being able to monitor the village as I usually do, but our child will be worth it."

I chuckled and set a hand on her shoulder. "I bet, you love your village very much. I've been wondering. How was your village while you were gone? Is it fine now?"

Konan smiled. "I do love this village very much. My village. When Pein and I returned my pride for Ame grew. The people took note of our disappearance and decided to run the village as usual. Pein expected the village to be overrun with foreign shinobi from other villages, but to our surprise the people closed off the borders. Ninja trained harder in order to impress us upon our return and the economy improved. When we returned Pein made an appearance himself. The people were ecstatic. There were celebration and parties after Pein complimented the people of this village. We rewarded the village by improving the daily lives of people."

"That's amazing," I commented, pulling up a small bench for me to seat myself. "I cannot believe the village was fine and no Hanzo followers tried making an uprising."

"They did," Konan commented. She looked outside the window as the rain poured against it. "But the people of Ame stopped every last one of them. We lost a total of five faithful shinobi to Hanzo's fifty dead followers. Our village fought valiantly and minimum damage was down to the city and any damage that was done to the village was repaired immediately. Ame is a prideful and kind village, but when threatens we become cold and ruthless in order to protect what we love."

"You have a wonderful village Konan-sama," Itachi added, dipping his head.

"Thank you, Itachi. Pein and I have worked very hard for this. It is our goal to strive for the happiness of Ame. I want my child to grow up in this village, they will love the people and the people in turn. My child shall be the child of God and Angel. Child of Ame. Child of Akatsuki." Konan took my hand and smiled. "Child of Earth."

"Our child will be something important," Konan looked to me, her eyes glossed over, "Forgive me. I have been more emotional lately. With the child coming soon and the pride of my village, I feel things so strongly. Truth be told I am worried, yet excited, just as any mother should be, yes? Though thank you for listening to me. Pein has been awfully busy."

I squeezed her hand. "I promise I will protect your child."

I bowed my head like a knight swearing their allegiance. I felt oddly noble as I swore protection over this child I haven't even met. Their name is undetermined and their gender and their deeds, but to me that wasn't important right now. This child was a change and a change was good. For all I know this child may protect me one day, considering they will be related to Nagato and Konan.

Itachi bowed his head in the same manner. "As will I," Itachi promised. I looked up at him and in his gaze was the same protective look he had when he was with me or Serenity. When he talked about Sasuke or Kisame. Itachi was a protector, a defender. Once he decides to protect one person or object he will do it at almost any cost. When he promised I could tell how much he meant it. Itachi worked well with children, even having a soft spot for them.

"Itachi, June, do me a favor and keep the other boys out of here. Specifically Hidan and Tobi. I do not want them doing something utterly idiotic with the nursery or the baby," she sighed, exasperated at the thought of Hidan entering the nursery.

"Of course, Konan."

Konan leaned forward. "Especially Tobi. I do not want him near my child without my own supervision or that of Pein's. I do not trust him with such... maternal affairs."

"I agree, I'll watch out for your child."

Konan leaned back in her chair and gave me a grateful smile. I couldn't imagine the stress that was on her. She was Angel, loyal servant of Pein and defender of Ame. She was a woman who was handed the nastiest and dirtiest of missions and completed them with nothing but grace. Now that she was pregnant, she couldn't preform any of the jutsu she once was able to. She wasn't defense, but close to.

Konan had told me that dispersing into paper may hurt the child, she didn't know. One of the main performances of her fighting style was dispersing into paper then reappearing. If she couldn't do that, she be loosing a large advantage and as a shinobi, advantages were everything. Having the upper hand on an enemy for even a second could determine life or death. That is why it is so important to protect Konan at the moment.

"Are you going to allow the other members to see the child?" I asked.

Konan shrugged. "Maybe, I am not sure yet. I will allow you and Itachi to see my child but the others have me worried. For one, I am fearful one of the boys may make an idiotic decision out of incompetence or ignorance when it comes to children. When they're older I would allow it. Pein and I have been even discussing letting our child be trained by some of the members," Konan explained, fixing her hair while idly looking out of the window.

Konan leaned forward and slowly tried to stand up. Itachi was at her side in a moment, trying to help her up. Konan pushed his hand away with a determined look. "Thank you Itachi, but I am not incapable of standing up by myself. I refuse to be rendered useless even if I am carrying a child." She stood up and held her back. "I am going to rest for a while, please do wake me in a few hours and if Ashton or Serenity arrives."

I nodded and opened the door for Konan. She left the room with a quiet thank you and retired to her room. Itachi and I left soon after, wandering slowly to his room. Our hands were intertwined as we walked in silence, keeping the same slow pace. After ten minutes and six seconds, I broke the silence between us.

"I do not want Madara going near the child," I hissed quietly, stopping Itachi.

"I feel the same way. June," he lowered his voice, "is there something about the child Konan will bare?"

I nodded. "The child isn't supposed to be here."

Itachi's eyes widened ever so slightly. "We changed something then."

"Yeah, I am just trying to figure out if the story will continue as usual. I know this can't effect the other nations now, but it will. A life can change the thinking of anyone. Look at Naruto, he's used his hax jutsu on every villain. I am not over exaggerating either. Zabuza, Haku, Neji, Gaara, Tsunade, the kyuubi, Pein, Konan, Gurren kind of, Killer Bee, Sasuke eventually, and even you, but kind of. Don't get me started on the fillers either. Though, he uses Therapy no Jutsu on himself at the Waterfall of Truth! Like, what? Also, Therapy no Jutsu can be passed down to another and doesn't have to be used on the 'villain'."

"This conversation took a completely different turn," Itachi commented with a subtle sigh.

I waved at him dismissively. "I'm trying to think how I can master this jutsu. Do you understand how useful this would be?"

Itachi chuckled quietly and patted my head. "I am sure it would be useful, tell me more-" He looked up at to the staircase and craned his neck as if he was listening. "Did you hear that?"

I looked around and quietly walked to the staircase. I heard very faint talking, though I couldn't distinguish the voices yet. "Yeah, I hear it."

"It is," Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, feeling for the chakra, "Deidara and Hidan." He gave me a meaningful glance, as if he was trying to tell me something without conveying it verbally.

"Deidara and Hidan? That means..." I let my remark die off, now forgotten about. I sprinted down the stairs and then the next step of stairs until familiar giggling could be heard. I grinned, the widest grin I have ever smiled. I was filled with some much hope and happiness it was overwhelming. I wanted to scream but I composed myself and continued to sprint down the stairs. Itachi followed me close behind, making sure I would not fall and break my neck.

He called for me to slow, but I didn't listen and continued to dash. I finally came to the last set of stairs and saw Hidan and Deidara side by side with Serenity in the middle. She ceased her giggling and looked up at me before squealing. She opened her arms out wide and screamed out.

"JUNE!"

I jumped off the stairs and crashed into her arms. Serenity fell to the ground with me in her arms. Her hands were holding me in a tight hug that strangely could be likened to that of a boa constrictor. "June! June! I knew you were fine! Please don't leave! Not again," she cried, her tears seeping through my clothing.

My fingers were entagling themselves in her hair then grabbing her cheeks to look at her. I was hugging her head to my chest and she was grasping at my shirt, holding on tightly. She gave out a loud hiccup then a loud sniffle before readjusting herself. I petted her hair and shushed her quietly. "I'm fine Serenity, are you okay?"

She nodded with watery eyes. "Mhm, I'm good. Hidan just teased me a bit and- ITACHI!" She charged into Itachi and hugged him tightly. Itachi stiffened like a metal beam and looked down at her. "Bro! My brother from another mother! I missed you too!"

Itachi put an arm around her and awkwardly patted her head. "Hello Serenity, it is nice seeing you as well."

She wiped her cheeks, trying to rid of her red face. "That's all you have to say?" she asked jokingly.

Itachi shook his head but wiped some of her tears away. "You're a mess Serenity, would you like me to show you were the nearest bathroom is?"

"I can help her, hmm," Deidara announced, grabbing Serenity by the arm and glaring at Itachi. The two glared at each other, both inches from each other momentarily. They finally broke their tense gaze and Deidara left with Serenity. I followed close by, not wanting to leave Serenity.

Serenity grabbed my hand and let out a shaky breath. "I missed you so much! Did you find Ashton yet? Are the others here? What about Danna? What have you been doing?"

"Not yet. Kisame and Kakuzu are out looking for her as well as Zetsu. Everyone is here expect Kakuzu, Kisame and Zetsu. Though, I'm not sure where Tobi is," I commented.

Deidara led us up another level until we were entering his room. His room wasn't messy, but it could be cleaner. His futon wasn't made and there were clothes piled up in a corner. Clay stuck to the ground, but besides those flaws his room was decent. In the back of his room was another door that lead to his bathroom. There, Serenity wet a towel and put it to her cheeks. I took the towel from her and held it to her eye for her.

"Besides the fact we were missing did you have a good time?" I questioned, mentally counting down two minutes. A cold wet towel can bring down swelling or redness after two minutes. So if you don't want anyone to know you were crying just place a cold towel to your face for a couple minutes.

"Mhm, I was with Naruto and Jiraiya," she grinned, "guess what?"

"Hmm?"

"I have chakra too!"

I felt like I was going to faint. Serenity has chakra! How'd that happen? I swear if Jiraiya or Naruto forced chakra into them I'd kill them. Chakra was special. Almost sacred. The only reason Sasori shared it with me was because we were acquainted and I wanted it. Serenity had expressed chakra would be fun, but not something she desired.

"How?" I gasped, taking the rag off her eye.

She shrugged. "I don't know, but Jiraiya had to explain to me that I was like a balloon. He taught me to meditate so I could control the intake and outtake of chakra. If I don't regulate it I'll go pop!"

"Pop?"

"Pop!"

I shook my head. "You're good now," I set the towel on the counter and patted her cheek, "Hidan knows about the seals? Right?"

Deidara nodded. "Hidan designed the seals, I just painted them, hmm." Deidara walked out of his room and we followed. Outside was Itachi and Hidan waiting for us. "Hidan, June has some questions for you."

Hidan raised his brow with his arms crossed. "Really?"

"You're just setting yourself up for a sarcastic remark, buddy, but I'll refrain for now," I gestured to Serenity, "she has chakra, how?"

Hidan sighed. "The principles of this world is everything must have chakra. If you read my notes, the portal is supposed to ensure survival of the user. That is why Sasori became human and Uchiha's illness didn't act up right away. Seri or Ashton couldn't survive without chakra, therefore they were given chakra."

I blinked, then stared and sputtered. "Hidan, that's the smartest thing I've ever heard you say."

Hidan batted me over the head then snarled. "Shut it, blonde!"

"I retract my previous compliment."

Said zealot went to hit me again but Itachi pulled me away then glared at Hidan. "Hidan," Itachi warned, his sharingan flaring dangerously. "What have we talked about?"

Hidan scoffed. "Uh-huh, I know, weasel boy. Don't lay a finger on your lady or else. I remember Uchiha."

Deidara crossed his arms. "Do you really think Hidan and I would hurt June, hmm? Are we that stupid in your great Uchiha mind?" Deidara turned to Serenity. "Or do Hidan and I have to stop talking to Seri because apparently everything we do and say is a "bad influence on her"? I couldn't imagine how she'd feel if she had to stop talking with us, hmm." Deidara draped an arm around Serenity's shoulders and smiled sweetly. The kind of smile that looked very innocent on a child.

Serenity ruffled Deidara's hair and smiled sweetly at him. "What are you talking about? I love you and Hidan, of course I'd talk to you guys."

Itachi sighed. "Deidara, you and I both know that is not what I meant."

I looked to Itachi then Deidara. "Okay, would someone enlighten me on the situation? Because now I am dying to know what is going on."

"After we came back Itachi talked to Hidan and I like we were children, like he was better than us, hmm. He told us we were a terrible influence on Seri and that we'd stop harming June or else he shall invoke his Uchiha prowess on us and we shall suffer for eternity." Deidara scoffed and rolled his eyes towards Itachi. "Yeah, like were idiotic enough to actually hurt Seri or June, hmm"

"Thanks, hun. I feel awfully loved, but Deidara's partially correct, he wouldn't hurt me or Serenity. Just look at how Serenity treats them," I motioned to Serenity who was currently hugging Deidara, "see? Nothing to worry about. They take good care of her."

Deidara smirked. "Deidara: 1, Uchiha: 0."

Itachi glared towards him, but I small smirk grew on his face. I knew that smirk anywhere, he was going to screw with Deidara. "Serenity." Itachi motioned for Serenity she perked up at her name. "Come here, I haven't seen you for many months. I will give you a tour of the building."

Serenity hesitantly took a step forward. "I don't know. Hidan and Deidara-"

"It is fine, sister. Come here," Itachi assured.

Deiadara and Hidan looked to each other with frowns. "Wait Seri, why don't you come with us," Hidan beckoned, grabbing Serenity by the shoulders. "Come on, woman. We can go..."

Serenity wasn't listen to them, she was grinning widely with stars in her eyes. "Sister?" she whispered, her grin somehow growing even wider. She jumped right next to Itachi with a proud smile then hugged his arm. "Sure, bro! I'd love to! I missed you too! Where are we going to go tour? Will you show me the whole building?"

"Of course, Serenity. We will tour the whole facility if you please. Whatever you want." Itachi patted her head before lightly pushing Serenity in front of him. He looked back towards Hidan and Deidara, who were dumbstruck, and mouthed, "Deidara: 1, Uchiha: 2." With that he walked off with an ecstatic Serenity skipping and bounding down the hallway.

"Ouch," I hissed, looking to the two boys. "That must really hurt."

Deidara looked ready to scream, but because he held in his anger he turned red. The boy looked furious, he always does when he is one upped by Itachi. "I'm going to my room, yeah," he muttered before stalking off to his room angrily.

Hidan and I looked at each other awkwardly before we both heard Deidara slam the door. Hidan rolled his eyes finally. "Don't. Say. A word," he threatened, pointing his finger at me.

"A word."

"Ugh! Okay, I'm pissed too! Uchiha always thinks its okay to screw me over!" He blew out a hot stream of breath. "I'll be in my room if you need me June, don't go in my room. Or you'll be scarred."

Hidan walked away with that, lightly punching me in the shoulder then tottering to his room.

* * *

 **There we have it! Serenity is back! Now all we need is Ashton! I don't have much to say about this chapter except Konan really is frustrated with being pregnant. She can't patrol like usual, but that's the only point I want to get across.**

 **Fun Fact- Pein actually wants a baby girl and Konan wants their child to call the girls "aunt".**

 **A- If there is a world with infinite pasta then sign me up.**

 **Q- Any suggestions for the baby's name or gender?**

 **Thanks for reading, till next time!**


	14. When to train

Ashton's POV

I don't believe I have actually sweated this much. After a week of intense training by Asuma and his team I've become unbearably sore. I have never been this sore before, not even after wrestling with that of the Troublesome Trio, containing Kisame, Hidan, and Deidara. None of the boys ever made me this sore. Though, they did know to play nice with Konan and Itachi watching.

Asuma was not just showing me basic self-defense anymore, I was slowly integrating into their team. Nothing personal, I could never replace Ino, Choji, or Shikamaru. But Sakura and I were joining them everyday. Morning to night and sometimes through the night. Yes, it was a lot of work but I could feel myself becoming stronger, even after a week of work.

Sakura and I were in her small backyard, practicing the same punch over and over again. We've been training for the past hour and I was ready to take a break and she was as well, yet we kept pushing.

I have been living with her for the few weeks now. I have met her parents and that was an awfully... eventful day.

Sakura's parents, Mebuki and Kizashi, both had very different reactions. Mebuki seemed frightened for one, considering I was in a patients gown that day and towered over her. Not to mention I accidently scared her by popping out of nowhere. After she got over her initial shock she complained about cooking and chores and where I would sleep. Her father was so much different. He laughed and told me "A friend of Sakura's is a friend of mine. Please, make yourself at home!" Mebuki scolded her husband for being too light about the matter.

I now sleep on the couch that is too small for me. Occasionally I will roll down to the floor so I may stretch but the floor is cold. Thankfully, I was given the fluffiest blankets in the household, therefore I am unable to complain. Also, I have introduced Sakura and her parents to multiple meals from my world. Spaghetti, tacos, French fires, and chirros. Thank you Serenity for teaching me how to cook all of these wonderful foods.

Needless to say, now the family is more than happy to have me ever since I cooked them delicious food.

When Sakura wasn't training with Asuma's team she was at the hospital. I accompanied her sometimes and other times I joined team 10. I have met team 8 and I looked forward to meeting team Gai. Sakura tells me stories at night while she is getting ready for bed. She tells me about the others and her own team. She'll mention Naruto and her teacher or talk about herself instead. I enjoyed listening to her, she sounded like an excited teen talking about her day, minus the knives and chakra.

"Are you about done?" I turned to Sakura and set my sore hands down.

She panted with a small nod. "Mhm, I need a break."

I sat down on the grass then slowly sprawled out. The pinkette sat down next to me and stretch out similarly to me, though her legs were closed and arms awkwardly by her sides. I couldn't help but chuckle, she was trying to subtly mimic my posture. Now that I thought of it Sakura tended to copy others, even if it was very subtle. Mannerism, technique, posture, even tone of voice. She just wanted to fit in.

"Ashton, would you mind meeting Lady Hokage?" Sakura asked, sitting up to look at me.

I quirked my eyebrow. "Kinda? Why would she want to meet me?"

Sakura shrugged. "I'm not sure, but she mentioned you to me this morning when we she was teaching me. She would like to meet you today if possible. Are you alright with that?"

"I'm not sure," I picked at the dirt in my nails, "I've been known not to get along with the authority." I dug at the dirt in my finger nails, it was starting to bug me.

Sakura could clearly see I was more interested in my nails than in this conversation and huffed. "You're going to meet Lady Tsunade today, okay?"

I let out a long, suffering groan. It sounded childish, I know, but I didn't want to meet Tsunade. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, you have to meet Tsunade. You may not argue with that," she crossed her arms and gave me a stern look, "so be ready in five minutes."

I gave her a mischievous look. Sakura was a growing girl and slowly gaining confidence. In this world she needed to eat, sleep, and breath confidence or someone would knock her down.

"What if I said no, hmm? What are you going to do?" I asked, looking back at my nails.

"What do you mean, no? Lady Tsunade has requested to see you and you are turning her down. She is the Hokage, it should be an honor to see her." She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "You're disrespectful, Ashton."

"So I've been told," I chuckled, not sparing her a glance. I wanted her to tell me I was rude, I want her to say that she is in charge and the Hokage doesn't have control over me. Sakura does because she has been assigned to watch over me.

Sakura groaned in frustration. "Ashton, this isn't your choice anymore. I was trying to be polite at first."

"Why isn't it my choice?"

"Because the Hokage asked for you. Don't you have a kage where you come from?"

"Nope," I stood up and started to walk away, "we have important authority figures like governors and presidents, but there are no kage and they do not command the people directly. Can't that system quickly turn into a dictatorship? I've already told you too, I don't do well with authority."

"Ashton, come back here. You're going to see Lady Tsunade because I am watching over you and it is my job to make sure you obey rules and regulation," she snapped, frustrated with my behavior.

"So, you're in charge?"

"Yes!"

I nodded, that's something I can respect. People don't gain respect by not establishing what or who they are. It's a terrible fact but true. "Okay, I'll go see the Hokage."

* * *

My hands were shoved in my pockets and my eyes wandered to the window. My hair was not combed nor washed. I was sweaty and greasy from training all day. A bruise adorned my cheek bone that unpleasantly drew the attention of anyone. My clothes were sweat stained and cover of dirt. I did not look presentable, yet Sakura dragged me here, in the Hokage's office. I could not respect this. I looked unpresentable.

Whenever I would go on a new job interview Serenity would always lay out clothes for me the night before and do my hair all nicely in the morning after I took a shower. Serenity always told me dress to impress, dress to feel your best, and undeniably good clothing made you reliably good. She always liked to rhyme and it'd put me in a good mood for the next job interview.

I wish I followed her advice because I was not looking so hot and Tsunade was inspecting me head to toe. After she seemed to look me over she made eye contact with me and for some reason I felt undeniably challenged by this. I could feel confidence oozing off of her. She was a woman of selfconfidence. She knew what she wanted, when she wanted, and why. She knew how and by what extent she would get whatever she wanted.

This made me feel attacked and challenged. Tsunade was the boss of everyone. Everyone except me.

Sakura bowed her head and I crossed my arms. Only Pein made me bow that low to him. Nobody else earned my respect like that. Though I would settle for dipping my head. "Lady Tsunade," I dipped my head, "it is nice meeting you."

She dipped her head in response. "Please, sit down."

Sakura and I took a seat in front of her large desk. I crossed my legs and my arms before settling down into the seat. "Why have you called me on this lovely day?" I asked.

"I'll be short Ashton, I've heard you have been training very hard. You would like to go to," she looked down at one of the papers on her desk, "Ame, correct?"

"Yes ma'am, Amegakure is the planned destination after I'm done learning some self-defense. I heard the ninja on the way can get wicked, don't you agree?" I questioned, bobbing my foot up and down.

"The road to Ame can be a dangerous one. Why Ame of all places? Are you aware that the village doesn't let anyone from the outside in?"

I nodded. "I have been aware, but I have some friends in Ame. Three weeks ago exactly from today my friend, June disappeared in the lands of what you call home. Three days after my cousin and I were separated and I woke up in a tree. My friend June must be in Ame because that is where our other friends are from. June wouldn't be anywhere else, and even if she didn't first arrive in Ame she would be there now. June is incredibly intelligent and would figure out a way to reach Ame without harm."

"So you want to travel to Ame to find your friends?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Who at your other friends?"

"Shinobi," I answered, but Tsunade waited for me to go on. I didn't show it, but now I was irritated and nervous. Lying to a kage could get me in serious trouble, but Kakashi even commended me for my lying skills. "They're chunnin from Ame. There is a total of ten of them, if you would like I can give you a description of each one if that would make it more believable for you. We all lived together last year, I know them quite well."

Tsunade nodded. "Please write a description up for me later, thank you. Where are you from?"

"America, Land of the Free! I am a proud member of society and eligible to vote!" I announced proudly.

The Hokage quirked her eyebrow. "And where would that be?"

This was like Shizune all over again. She thought I was lying, she thought I was crazy. "In North America. You know, on planet Earth!" I snapped, feeling myself becoming angry.

"How do you get there?"

"I don't know," I took off my hat to run my fingers through my hair, "only my shinobi friends can get me back through some kind of jutsu or- or something. That's not important, why do you want me here? I have better things to do then be talking here. I could be training or eating."

Tsunade folded her hands together and leaned forward. "I've been told you posses some type of kekkei genkai. You have some kind of insight on a person, correct?"

I glanced towards Sakura. "Traitor," I muttered.

She waved her hands at me. "No, no. It wasn't me, trust me. It was someone else."

"But you still would have told her eventually," I muttered, playing with the hem of my cap. "Yeah, I don't have a kekkei genkai though. Everyone where I come from can peer into someone's life somehow." I wasn't lying. Everyone knew about fictional stories and the life of someone else. In this way I wasn't lying. "I can't do much with it though. Just pull some little tricks and freak people out."

I started to realize what she wanted though. She wanted me to tell the fate of this village or use me as some tool. The thought horrified me. If I was held here as some kind of tool I could never find June ever. I would never be free.

"No," I stood up from my chair, "no, no, no, no, no! I know what you are thinking and no. End of story."

Tsunade sighed. "Okay, I understand Ashton. That's all I wanted to ask of you, but now you have me curious." She gave me an amused smile. "Humor me."

I smirked, June told me I spent way to much time on the computer while the Akatsuki was gone. I was just soaking in all of the information from their world. "106 centimeters," I said, slowly sitting back down in my chair.

"What?"

"You heard me. 106 centimeters," I stated again while shrugging.

Tsunade gave me a stern look before relaxing and chuckling. "Be lucky you aren't Jiraiya."

I pointed finger guns at her. "Be lucky I'm not embarrassing you in front of your pupil." Before she could retort I decided to move on. "I have a question for you Tsunade. Does anyone else know about me?"

She looked up to think for a moment. "I believe a few of the council members do, why?"

My eyes widened before I stood up again. I fastened my hat to my head then opened the door. "I have to go then, for real. I can't wait for training to finish. If the council was informed they'll have my head! I can't be locked away here! I have to find June!"

Sakura ran up to me and held my arm. "Ashton, what's wrong?"

I ripped away from her and flung open the doors. I wasn't dealing with this crap. I'm not staying here anymore. I can't because as much as the council makes decisions for the village, they will make decisions that will harm others that are not the village. That means anyone that is not a citizen of Konoha is expendable. Even if it was one member of the village they were expendable. As long as the village as a whole was not endangered, nothing else mattered. The council would use me, especially-

"Danzo."

I backed away from the door and flattened myself against the wall. Why was he here? Isn't that old war hawk busy with the root or something else. Go bother some other woman, you wrinkly ball of evil.

"I'm sorry Lady Tsunade, was I interrupting something?" Danzo asked, bowing his head to Tsunade.

"I'm afraid you did, Danzo-sama." Tsunade flicked her gaze over to me and motioned for me to sit again. As I slowly walked over to my seat and I eyed Danzo, afraid he was going to attack me at any given moment. Tsunade noticed my caution and decided to ease the tension. "Ashton, this is Danzo. He is a member of the council. Danzo, this is Ashton."

Danzo gave me a weary smile, that of a wise old man. "Ah, Ashton, I have heard of you. You are a woman who posses a very interesting power. Tell me, is it true?"

"You like hijiki and the word fortitude," I muttered, glaring the man down.

"That is impressive, I do indeed enjoy hijiki." He settle both of his hands on his cane then looked at me carefully. We made eye contact and I was determined not to look away or even blink under his gaze. "Why the sour face?"

"I don't like you."

"Now why would that be?"

I shrugged. "I never did like authority, don't know why. It usually sinks of lies and control."

Danzo chuckled dryly. "But you were just having a lovely conversation with Lady Hokage, do you not like her?"

"Nope, not one bit."

He blinked and I silently declared myself the winner of this staring contest. "It can't be helped, tell me Ashton. Are you planning on staying in our village?"

"Nah, I have other places to be. I'm not a fan of being in a village of creepers."

Sakura pinched my arm and gave me a meaningful glare. I rolled my eyes but I received another pinch to the arm. "I am so sorry," Sakura apologized as she bowed her head to Danzo. "Ashton comes from a place where the customs are a bit different. I'm sure that where she comes from her behavior would be more acceptable. Please forgive her."

"I am trying to be rude, Sakura. Let me do my job," I looked back to Danzo, "so Danzo, why such the interest in me?"

Danzo's eyes narrowed, but he held his voice and posture strong. "Your power interest me because you could help ward the village off from future attacks. Sure your more useful than telling me my favorite food and word. I could not imagine putting a power such as yours to waste, it would be simply shameful."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I am more useful than that. I'm capable of punching ugly creeps in the face _real_ good. Wanna demonstration? Only will cost you a tooth and a broken nose." I smirked, knowing fully well how much trouble I would be getting into. I've never been arrested by Anbu before, I wonder how long a sentence for assaulting a council member is?

"Youth, so rude these day, I remember-"

"I'm sure you can remember when dirt was invented, I don't really care. Look, even if I could tell more than your favorite food and word I wouldn't help you. This isn't my village nor is this my home, therefore I have no business meddling in the affairs of wars that belong to different countries, got that? I have places to be, I have to find my friends. I don't care what you want Danzo- _sama_. I know your kind and as long as you don't bother me I wont have more of a problem with you than I already do."

"Such insolence." That doesn't sound familiar at all.

He turned his attention to Tsunade, "I will converse with you another time and while I am absent do something about her manners. Goodbye Lady Hokage." He turned around and once he left the room the tapping of his cane against the cool floor could still be heard. I sent a chill down my back and continued to glare at the doors.

The moment his foot steps left my hearing I collapsed into the chair. My breath began to speed up and I could feel myself become dizzy, I even wanted to throw up. "Lady Tsunade, forgive me for that but that man..." I caught my breath then pointed to the doors, "is not good."

Sakura patted my shoulders and gave me a worried look. "Are you okay, Ashton? What's wrong?"

I brushed her hands off me. "Oh my Jashin, kill me. I was so scared, I thought he was going to kill me for sure. Wow, I hate him."

Tsunade cleared her throat to gain my attention. "For one, are you okay?"

I waved her off. "Just a bit spooked and sleep deprived."

"Secondly, what was that? Danzo is a very respectable and powerful man. It would not be wise to cross him," Tsuande crossed her arms angrily, "I want you to explain yourself."

I've never felt this tired being scared, but I've never been mentally drained too. I needed my medication before I made a stupid decision. I've been off of it for three weeks and I can tell that I'm not doing well. I'm irritable and irrational. I want to get better and this is not helping me. Next thing I know I'll be indebt and several people will want to murder me.

I looked to Tsunade. "Yeah, I'll tell you but I need mood stabilizers or something to help me. I've tried ignoring this problem but it's not working. You're a doctor too, so you can do something, anything!"

Tsunade nodded, understanding my situation now. "Of course, I can help you."

"Good. Earlier, when we were talking about my abilities. Whatever you want to call it, most of the time it's useless, but every now and then I get lucky. Danzo, I have seen and know things about him that scare me. I will not show him submission, if he thinks he has an inch on me, he'll take the mile. Tsunade, you watch yourself around him. I can't say anymore, I'll mess it up if I do."

"Mess what up?"

"Everything."

Tsunade nodded her head, understanding that what I was saying was something she would never understand. Or maybe she knew I was too emotional at the moment, whichever it was I could respect her for that. Tsunade wasn't as bad as I imagined her to be. "Thanks," I said, dipping my head.

"You're welcome. Sakura, go take Ashton to get a drink, she looks like she needs it. Also, I want you here tomorrow in the morning, Ashton may accompany you if needed. You are both dismissed," Tsunade announced, dipping her head back at me.

I smirked, she was alright.

Sakura bowed and walked out of the room with me in tow. This day wasn't completely useless to me, but it wasn't good. I needed to watch my back now because Danzo would be watching me. Whether it be ROOT or someone else. I wasn't safe, nor was Sakura. The thought made me feel guilty, I was endangering her and her family. It was selfish of me, but I needed her for a bit longer.

* * *

That night I told Sakura I was heading out. I respected that she never asked why I went to the grave of Rin. I respected she told no one where I went because she somehow knew the subject made me uncomfortable. Every night I went to check if the flowers had moved or if there was some type of secret message planted there by Obito. Maybe he still hadn't visited her grave or I was too dumb to find his clues. My least favorite thought was he has been visiting but he didn't care enough to try and contact me, but I ignored that thought the most.

I was kneeling by Rin's grave and setting down new flowers. I clapped my hand together and began to whisper like usual. I usually whispered nonsense. My fears, new ambitions, troubles and experiences. It was oddly therapeutic, maybe it was because I couldn't talk to anyone else about these issues without killing them.

After I was done I noticed there was a new flower. A single lily flower and I knew this had to be Obito.

I immediately started to look around for him. Maybe I missed him but maybe I arrived just in time. I ran to the bushes and to the tress to search for him. I looked in barrels and looked around the other headstones for a sign or note. He seemed to just be gone and this made me angry because didn't he know I was here! How did he not know?

But there was no sign of him. Though I knew he had to be watching me. Making sure I was safe, that was the only explanation. His eyes had to be on me at this very moment, judging me. Everyone's eyes were on me, glaring down at me like judgement day! They all knew! They knew and they were watching.

He was watching me, Danzo was watching, Tsunade, Sakura, Asuma, Shizune, the citizens, the trees, the shinobi, god and the devil. They all were watching me, including Rin.

* * *

 **I know Ashton is close to death. So very close. Anyways, what do you all think of a reanimated Rin? Would Obito just have stopped and be good? He really did love her.**

 **Fun Fact- Ashton fears clowns and goats. Another reason she fears goats is because at her grandma's farm she watched one eat each off a dolls face and chew one the eyeball of a dead bird. Gross, but true. She was scared for life. Secondly, all of the Akatsuki lowkey hate all of the technology the girls have because they do not understand it well and feel old.**

 **A- Secret~**

 **Q- Favorite jutsu?**

 **Till next time!**


	15. When to watch

Ashton's POV

They all were watching, and so was Kakashi. Kakashi was watching me and it was really awkward. Painfully so.

I rubbed my arms and awkwardly bounced. "So, uh, you come here a lot? That lily flower over there wouldn't happen to be yours, now would it?" I asked, gesturing to the flowers on the ground. I kicked at the dirt on the ground then looked down. This was too painful for me, I already suffer from second hand embarrassment. This is even worse.

"You knew her?" Kakashi questioned, his voice was no more than a whisper.

I shrugged. "I don't know if that's the correct term. Do we truly know anybody in this forsaken world, Kakashi? So technically speaking I only know no one, but myself," I chimed, trying to dodge the question at hand.

Kakashi looked clearly unamused with my answered and took a step forward. In turn I stepped back and stood behind Rin's headstone. Kakashi kept his gaze on me. "Ashton, did you know Rin?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't know. I just thought she was pretty awesome, not gonna lie."

His eyebrow raised and I chuckled. "I just know things sometimes. I'm guessing Sakura already told you."

Kakashi shook his head. "No, Sakura didn't tell me, Asuma did though. Jounin like to gossip sometimes." His eye crinkled as if we were no longer having a serious stare down. It was slightly unsettling, the way he smiled and how light is voice was. "But you did know her some way, didn't you?"

"I guess, she was cool. I mean, I never met her but she seems to be a very important person. Plus, she's good at listening and I'm good at talking. So this kinda works out," I explained, pointing to the headstone then back at myself.

"You look a bit like her," he commented as he dropped a bundle of flowers by her grave. I didn't notice the flowers before, but they weren't lilies. That meant Obito had to be here at some point today. He had to know I was here, sure he would know Kakashi wouldn't be leaving Rin two bouquets of flowers every other day or so.

"Yeah, I guess I do, but I'm like a foot taller than her and my hairs not so nice," I brushed my hair behind ear, "Rin was also a lot more smiley, cute smiley." I kicked the flowers so they were all huddled together in a nice pile. Kakashi was making this more awkward than this had to be. Though, the man was known not to socialize very well with others. So what did I really expect?

I shook my head. "I'm being rude, we've never formally met. The names Ashton Coal," I held out my hand for him to shake, "it's nice to meet you."

Kakashi's eye smiled and shook my hand firmly. "Hatake Kakashi, and by the way you said your name backwards. I'm sure where you come from it's different, but say your last name first, then first name."

I laughed nervously. "Sorry." I scratched at the back of my head. "Tell me about yourself. I feel like using my insight is kinda cheating"

Kakashi hummed, thinking of hat to say. "I like a lot of things... I dislike a lot of things too. As for my dreams... I have a few hobbies..." he trailed, looking around awkwardly.

"You're so insightful," I rolled my eyes, "I like my hat and friends. I dislike authority and most people. My dream is to find my friend and my hobby is... training. I like training." I crossed my arms, I can't believe I just did that. I did the classic Kakashi introduction. I couldn't help but smile to myself, if Serenity was here she would be giggling her head off. Kakashi was always one of her favorite characters- people.

It was hard remembering these were people and not some characters in a show anymore. These people had complex emotions that I cannot understand. They have favorite foods and specific memories they cherish. It was hard to see everyone as a person, even if you did know almost everything about them.

I rubbed me arms and shivered. "Cold, isn't it?" I rubbed my hands together then looked back at him. "I gotta question for you. How long ago did Naruto leave for his training with Jiraiya?"

"About six months ago, why?" Kakashi asked, a small cloud of breath streaming out from under his mask.

"Just wondering, I kinda wanted to meet him. Maybe I'll meet him another time." The thing about characters is I know their fate, but because they are people to me the more I interact in this world the more I start to feel guilty. Kakashi dies to the hands of Pein, of course he is resurrected but still, that's surreal to me. Kakashi sees Obito without warning, how his heart must have hurt.

"Hey, Kakashi."

Asuma is my friend now and he dies to another one of my friends. The Akatsuki is made up of my closest friends, but now they are going to die and kill some of my new friends. They are going to cause them pain. If I didn't do something all of the Akatsuki will die and so will this village. I realized I needed to do something, but I didn't want to be manipulative, I wasn't good at it. But I was good at acting and lying...

"Do me a favor, can you get me a few kunai and ninja tools. Nothing special, even if some of the tools are old and blunt. I'm kinda broke and-" I'm really bad at applying and keeping a job- "training is preventing me from getting a job."

"Now why would you need those? Can't Sakura supply you?" Kakashi asked, his tone as light as ever. I felt slightly offended by his tone of voice, he knew he was playing with me.

"I'm trying to spread out my debt. If I ask too much of her she'll want more in turn," I lied, waving my hand dismissively. Sakura was too nice to want, she was already letting me stay at her home without expense.

Kakashi shook his head and reached into a pouch connected to his hip. He pulled out three kunai and a roll of wire. He threw the items at me and I managed to grab the roll of wire before drawing back. The kunai clattered to the ground and I glared at him. "I could have been hurt, excuse you." I gathered the kunai and held them in one hand while the wire rested in the palm of my left hand. "But thank you, in all honestly I was feeing unsafe."

"Really now? A woman as fearless as you has something to feel worried about?" he teased, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Oh shut it, in fact I fear many things. Clowns, goats, goat-clowns. This world will do whatever it has to do in order to spook me," I announced, putting my hands on my hips.

"Goats?"

"Yes, bad childhood experience. Anyways... I am sure Sakura is waiting for me. Usually we talk before she goes to bed and I wouldn't want to keep her waiting, you know? Thank you, Kakashi. Have a good night," I said before walking off.

"Good night."

* * *

"Sakura! I'm heading out!" I yelled from the front door.

Sakura ran down the stairs, her hair half done. "Okay, where are you going? We promised to spar with Asuma's team," Sakura said, reminding me of the promise I made yesterday.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I just need some fresh air, contemplate life, have an existential crisis or two. You know how it is," I waved a dismissive hand and began to walk away from the door, "I promise I'll be back in two hours."

"You're so weird."

I snapped around to face her. "Watch it or I may have to kick your butt in sparring. I don't like beating up kids either." Truth be told Sakura is very scary on the field. I watched her level the surrounding area. "Okay?"

Sakura nodded and shut the door behind me. "Okay!"

I jogged down the street as I looked around. I couldn't help but smile at me surroundings. It always felt fake or I was in a town meant for nerdy cosplayers. Either way it could be trippy, but I liked it. Men and women walked around with swords and wacky hair. Nobody batted an eyelash at those who had hair that stood up a foot and colored green. I was seriously tempted to dye my hair, considering nobody would care. I could even tattoo my whole face or carry around a sword.

An awesome sword. My new resolve was to fight with a sword. A big sword, like Kisame or Zabuza. Plus, who messes with some with a huge sword? Idiots, that's who.

I was carrying three kunai and the ninja wire that Kakashi had given me. I felt safer with it on me. If someone tried fighting me I could at least slash up their face. The more I thought about being attacked though, the more I felt paranoid. Danzo was after me, if my lies were believable he was still a skeptical man and would double check truth from falsehood himself. I just hoped that he wouldn't hurt anyone else, or even confront me in front of anyone.

I secretly wished Zetsu would find me first and give me his weird advice. I would then tell him about my encounter with Danzo and Zetsu would eat him. The idea was very pleasing to me, but alas Zetsu also happens to be terrible with directions! And with my luck he would never find me. I thought Konan or Kakuzu would find me because they have always been in touch with me.

Konan wouldn't find me though because she is busy running a village and keeping Pein from taking over the world at this very moment. Konan was a busy woman. She was powerful and elegant. She had more to worry about than me. Compared to her I wasn't much, I was some low end job laborer with emotional issues. I never understood why she liked to hang out with me or even talk to me.

Man, now I'm starting to really miss her.

I turned the corner and was stopped by to men in animal masks. The first man wore a bird mask while the other wore a mask that resembled some kind of fish. The two men were shorter than me, maybe by six inches, but their killing intent made up for their lack of height. The second anbu, who I shall dub Fish, took a step forward.

"Going to a costume party?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Are you Coal Ashton?" he asked, pointing to me.

I waved me hands. "Noooo, I am not Ashton Coal." I pushed his finger away and stepped back. "Also, don't point. That's very rude."

Fish's hand didn't move when I pushed his hand I looked at him awkwardly. "Wow, you're pretty strong there," I chuckled nervously while trying to push his hand harder.

Fish moved his hand and grabbed my wrist. I tried tugging away and grabbed onto his hand. "You have a really strong grip, has anyone ever told you that?" I patted his upper arm. "Wow, you have some big muscles there too."

"We have been ordered to take you to Danzo-sama, Coal Ashton," Fish's friends, who I shall now dub Bird, growled at me. Bird went to grab my other wrist. I whipped out my kunai and stabbed his forearm instead and jumped away. Fish tugged my arm back, my arm felt like it was dislocated as he wrenched me back. While I was wrenched back Bird lifted his foot and thrust a kick to my stomach.

The air rushed out of my system and spit dribbled out of my mouth. "Oh god," I gasped, slashing my kunai forward blindly.

Bird hissed in pain as he stared at his collar bone. That slash was going to scar for sure.

I covered my stomach but gave the two a cocky smirk anyways. "Hurt, didn't it?"

Bird raised his fist and punched me in the cheek. I stumbled back and groaned in pain. "You punch hard," I commented, holding onto my cheek.

Fish grabbed the front of my shirt and leaned closer to me. "I'll ask you one more time. Are you Coal Ashton?'

I dropped my head in defeat. "Yeah, I'm Ashton Coal."

He let go of my shirt and my knees hit the ground. Both walked to each of my sides and hoisted me up off of the ground. Fish moved behind me and I felt cool metal lock around my wrists. Hand cuffs, they were actually cuffing me. I couldn't believe these two! What did the two think I could do, murder them with just my finger? I barely got in a hit during our little scuffle.

"Be careful with her, Danzo-sama said she would fight back," Fish muttered, locking the handcuffs.

Bird wrapped his arm around my waist and hoisted me onto his shoulder as if I was a stack of potatoes. "I know," he muttered, tightening his hold on me.

I was facing the back, therefore I couldn't see what they were doing. I assumed they were making hand signs because I felt Bird move his arm. There was a moment of complete silence and stillness before I was lurched forward. My head spun and the next thing I knew I was in another room. Strangely enough I was reminded of Obito's kamui. I was disoriented, but not wanting to throw up.

Bird dropped me and I fell to the ground. I went to grip my head but I just ended up curling into a ball of pain. My stomach and face hurt so much, I've never been punched this hard before. I've been in gang fights and pinned by cops. I have expericned one sided fights that were against me and none of the punches or kicks hurt this bad. When Fish kicked me it felt like a metal bat being swung by a professional baseball player.

I finally rolled onto my knees and looked up. The room was lighted, but not too bright. The room was spacious, the ceiling high and walls long. In front of me was a large desk with Danzo seated behind it. I glared at him and held back all of the curses and insults I knew. Hidan has even taught me a few. Danzo would turn white if he heard how Hidan could swear, that man was a legend.

"Let her go," Danzo commanded, waving his hand idly.

One of the ROOT agents unlocked my cuffs and stood me up. I rubbed my wrists while standing up, they were already red and chaffed. In my rage I whipped around to smash my fist into the man's mask but Fish caught my fist easily. But I had been training for the passed month and I had a few more tricks.

I raised my leg to kick him in the stomach but he slammed me to the ground. In turn I grabbed onto his leg and bent it to the side unnaturally. Fish kicked my off of his leg and as a last retaliation I grabbed my kunai. I slashed down then diagonal. Fish dodged every swipe before finally I nicked his mask. With that I shove my kunai forward and Fish caught it between his hands.

"You fight well for a beginner," Danzo commented, slowly standing up from his seat.

I growled in turn and ripped my kunai from Fish's hand. "Don't flatter me!"

I stomped forward, about to charge Danzo but he held his hand up. "I'm not here to fight you, Coal. I have retrieved you to talk." He strolled up to me. "Our conversation yesterday intrigued me even more. Coal, I think you are a lair. I am sure you know much more than just my favorite foods. So tell me, what else do you know?"

"I already told you! I can't see anything important! I just have insight on certain people and its about unimportant things!" I yelled angrily, throwing my hands to my sides.

Danzo's cane blurred into sight and gently touched my chin. He craned my head up and examined me. "How did you get this scar?" he questioned, securitizing me slowly.

"Ah yes, one of your chunin friends from Ame did this of June?" he asked, his voice dripping with mockery.

"How do you know that. Only Tsunade were given those documents, you mother f-!"

"Such language." His eyes adverted from me and wandered the room. "I know many things, it is my job to keep contacts all over the village, but you didn't tell me which one."

I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling killing intent leak into my lungs. "Dan," I spit out. He must have read through the fake descriptions I gave Tsunade, how did he get a hold of those?

"Yes, the loud one of your friends. Is that his real name?"

The best lies hold a bit of truth, that's what I learned over my years of life. "No," I huffed, seething with anger. "Hida, his name is Hida. Hida cut me when he was angry."

Danzo dropped his cane from my chin and set it onto the ground. "Why would a friend do that?"

I ignored his questioned and rubbed my chin for any residue from his filthy cane. I then rubbed my neck, feeling self conscious of the scar Hidan gave me. It was back when he was new in our world and Serenity was messing with him. I never liked the scar because I liked to think of Hidan and I as friends, not enemies.

"Tell me what you see for my future, Coal. Then maybe you wont have another scar to hide, hm?" Danzo questioned, his gaze intensifying.

I sneered before hacking up a wad of spit. I spit at his feet. "In your future I see only death."

Danzo glanced down at my spit before glaring at me. "Is this mockery or the truth?" Danzo inquired, raising a skeptical brow at me while his finger tapped the head of his cane in a bored manner.

"That's definitely truth."

"So you can see events in the future... tell me, how do I die then?"

"I don't really know. I am kinda planning on killing you myself or getting a friend to and that just screws up the whole future visions, because oh! which path to take, there must be less choices!" I dropped my mockery and gave him a deadpan look. "You're a foul man Danzo, you will die and not pleasantly."

Danzo smashed his cane onto my foot. "I do not take kindly to mockery, girl! If you really can tell the future you can benefit this village, you can save lives. Doesn't that sound persuading?"

I hissed in, trying to hide the pain of his cane. "Please, not if I'm locked up for the rest of my life and degraded into just some tool," I flicked my glance to Fish and Bird, "just like your little friends, huh? Just tools."

Being locked up and then being forced to predict this worlds future would be terrible. I would be disrespected and seen as nothing more than a simple tool. I would be helping in the deaths of the Akatsuki as well. Danzo probably wouldn't even use all of my knowledge; knowing him he'd only use the bits that affect him or the village. He wouldn't try and save the other jinchuriki or villages with issues.

The old man shook his head, disappointed with my answer. "You know where to put her. I want her more cooperative by tomorrow as well," he waved to the two ROOT agents, "leave."

Fish grabbed the back of my head and shoved it to the floor and my legs went flying up behind me. Meanwhile Bird grabbed my wristed and cuffed them together again, before I could form a coherent sentence they hoisted me up and started to drag me out of the room violently. I thrashed about, trying to break free of their hold.

This was it! They were taking me and I'd never see day again.

"Wait!" I screamed, flailing my legs. "Wait! Danzo, you'll regret this! Tsunade will know you have me and if you do this you'll regret it!"

Bird and Fish opened the doors and began to drag me out of the room. I hooked my feet against the wall and growled. "You'll never become Hokage! You'll be put in jail or even worse! You'll die!"

He wasn't listening.

"You are going to die! Hear that! Death! Your name will be disgraced and ROOT will be exposed!"

Just when I thought Danzo wouldn't listen to my screams he held up his hand and Fish dropped me to the ground. Bird let go of me soon after and I glared at Danzo, growling like some feral animal. I am not some seer or fortune teller, but I know his death and can speed it up. He underestimates my will and spite. He probably think I can do nothing to him. I can ruin him.

"I'm listening..."

I huffed loudly. "Tsunade will know you took me, she knows I don't like you and how suspicion would it be if I disappeared the next day after you took an interest in me. I even told her I dislike you. Secondly, let me go and I won't immediately ruin your name. Thirdly, I'll tell you how you become Hokage and then die. Let me go and I will tell you those two things. If you don't let me go Tsunade will find me and I will make sure you're killed. Before that I will destroy your title and have your name slandered in history textbooks. The next generation will know the name Danzo Shimura as an evil, detestable name!" I threatened, slowly standing myself up.

Danzo turned around. "Very well, but know this girl. I do not take kindly to threats, be thankful I am not killing you." He motioned to the ROOT agents. "Let her go."

Bird undid my cuffs and I crossed my arms instantly. Danzo quirked his eyebrow and motioned for me to carry on. "Okay. You become Hokage after Lady Tsunade falls into a deep coma, due to... unfortunate events. You and Kakashi Hatake are the only people who qualify and you are chosen to become the next Hokage. You are invited to a Kage summit and one of your guards will be an Aburame."

"What are these 'unfortunate events'," Danzo inquired, slowly inching towards me. His bored manner become silently curious.

"Someone attacks the village." I took a step back from him. "You die by the hands of an Uchiha, it is a great battle but at the end you are just too tired to carry on. My only requests are you let me go and watch these events play out until you are done with the Kage summit. Please, take as many precautions as possible not to die. Otherwise you have my word, this will happen."

Danzo nods. "Fine then. Bird-san, take her back. I want to speak with you tomorrow, Coal. Goodbye for now."

"Yes, Danzo-sama," Bird said, bowing his head then grabbing onto my waist again and throwing me over his shoulder. I squirmed but he disappeared in a puff of smoke with me in tow. We were back in the alley were the two had taken me.

Bird slowly set me down on my feet and dipped his head. As he dipped his head I couldn't help but notice the palest skin. His skin was so pale it was literally white. Danzo must have kept the poor kid locked up.

We looked at each other awkwardly before nodding. "Rot," I spat before turning away.

I strutted away feeling anxious. The only reason I am not the on rotting is because of my bull crap. I wondered if Sakura was waiting for me or if when I arrived home she'd kill me, but as for Danzo I regret telling him of my knowledge, he knows I was lying to him now and BOY OH, BOY AM I DEAD!

I have a few plans stirring in my head, though plans were never my thing. June always helped me and I need her help about now. I tried to think of what she would do. June would always plan ahead, far ahead of her opponent. So I did as she would, thinking ahead of Danzo. I thought maybe I could use this to my advantage, Danzo would play it safe and wait till he became Hokage. I know he'd still be looking for ways to keep himself from death, more specifically death by Uchiha hacker. Because lets all be honest.

Uchihas are full of bull crap.

The Uchiha clan is basically all hackers. I would be scared to if I had to fight any of them. The Uchiha will straight up murder someone with an emotionless face, that frustrates and angers me to no end. Back when I was still involved with gang activity and June would become angry with me she'd scold me with this dead face. When I yelled back, trying to get some kind of reaction out of her, she'd slowly blink and give me the most blank face. It's angering.

I ran back to Sakura's home. You could say I sprinted. The moment I entered her house I slammed the door behind me, locking the door right after. I went around the house, closing blinds and locking window. Sakura came downstairs with wet hair and in her normal clothes. She looked around frantically for me, clearly hearing my loud romping. I covered my face and hid behind the kitchen wall.

"Ashton, are you home?"

I debated answering her or not. I decided she would know if I was here whether or not I said anything. I croaked out a small, "Yes." I didn't think any of this through. My mind was on Danzo too much. Sakura was going to question my injuries, she wouldn't trust me. I couldn't stay here anymore then. I couldn't tell her the truth because Danzo would literally kill her and her family. That would ruin the timeline!

"Where are you?" she asked, her footsteps barely audible.

"Over here," I murmured, disappointed and frustrated by my actions.

Sakura rounded the corner and I hung my head, hands still covering my face. She was silent for a moment, not used to this sort of behavior coming from me. I could hear her breathing as she tried thinking of something to say. She sucked in a deep breath and finally spoke. "Ashton, let me see. What happened to your face?"

"I look terrible though," I muttered.

Sakura hummed sassily. "I'm sure you do, so let me take a look."

I made a 'tsk' sound and shook my head. "Such sass, aren't I older than you? Aren't you supposed to show those who are older than you respect." I uncovered my face and gave her a smile. "See," I smooched my cheeks to my lips then grinned, "I'm fine!"

Sakura gasped, "You are not fine! Come sit down." She grabbed my wrist and I wanted to hiss at her, my chaffed wrist stinging. Sakura sat my down at the kitchen table and went to the refrigerator for an ice pack. She handed it to me and I touched it to my face. Meanwhile, Sakura was holding onto my hands and healing my chaffed wrists that were close to bleeding. Healing was a weird but satisfying feeling. I could feel new skin over lapping itself and healing, quicker and better.

"What did you do?"

"So you assume I did this? I honestly came here to feel safe but I am just feeling attacked," I mock gasped, turning my head away.

Sakura gave me an annoyed sighed. "Ashton, tell me what happened?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was jumped by Tora the cat?" Sakura stared at me blankly. "What if I said I was attacked by genin because they thought I was a enemy ninja?" I received another blank look. "Okay, Okay. I get it, no more lies. I won't lie to you, I promise."

I crossed my legs and she raised her eyebrow, wanting me to go on. I raised my eyebrow back mockingly and smirked. "I didn't say I was going to tell you."

Sakura rolled her eyes and kept healing me. We sat in silence for the next hour, Sakura healing me without pressing any questions. She would occasionally glance up at me to see if I was okay. I nodded to her every time. I wanted to tell her I was thankful, but I couldn't form the right words. Each time I tried to tell her a small grunt would just come out and I became increasingly more frustrated. After Sakura was done healing me she grabbed me a new shirt and pants. I took it and rubbed the fabric and finally found the ability to speak again.

"Thank you, Sakura. It means a lot to me," I set the clothes down and sighed deeply, "I am so thankful. I don't think you know how thankful I am Sakura and one day I will make it up to you. I promise you that even if it isn't soon. I will, but I have to leave soon. I attracted some unwanted attention and need to leave by tomorrow morning or tonight."

Sakura frowned. "But you haven't finished any of your training and you still need to meet all of my friends. What about Asuma and Shizune, didn't you all go out drinking one night? Aren't you all friends?" Sakura asked, walking up to me.

"Sakura," I shook my head, "you knew I couldn't stay here forever? I have responsibilities and friends."

"But you were going to get a job here and stay here with..." She realized what she was saying and shook her head. "A missions a mission. I understand. I'll help you back. I'll wake you up in the morning, before the sun rises."

I set my hands on her shoulders and smiled. "That means a lot to me." I felt guilty, terrible, even vile. Sakura was a girl that went through the heart ache of seeing someone she loved leave. Sasuke left her with few words and she doesn't know if he will come back or if he was even alive. Sakura tried stopping him and realized she was useless. After forming a friendship with her I am leaving and she can't do anything about it.

"Why don't I make some tacos tonight. We still have those taco shells I made, right?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah."

* * *

 **Ashton back at it again with her antics and disrespectful behavior! Yes, I am aware Ashton would have been dead by now, but she still holds some information and Danzo excepted her to be to scared or weak to run away. He is a patient man and will watch carefully if need be. And let's be honest, Ashton is being watched by everyone. Even ROOT agents. Also, one more chapter with Ashton, then were onto more POV's and almost done with the arc.**

 **Fun Fact- Asuma once invited Ashton out to drinking. She saw Kakashi, Neji, Anko, and Kurenai. Her and Anko are best friends now.**

 **A- Does Reverse Harem Jutsu work? Just kidding, Kamui, because you can abuse its powers.**

 **Q- Favorite reanimated character?**

 **Till next time my readers!**


	16. When to cheer

Serenity's POV

The tower was more often than not lonely and to my dismay scary. Everything creaked and moved when I was alone, so that's why I preferred the company of another, such as Konan.

We were sitting in her room at a table. Not that I minded, but Konan and Pein's room was much nicer than most of the other members. I guessed it was because they were the leaders and they spent more time in Ame than outside of it. Though, Konan explained she didn't keep her room clean simply because she and Pein were the leaders, but they prided themselves with their possessions. She told me all the Akatsuki prided themselves differently with their rooms. Itachi, Kakuzu, and Kisame having the nicest of rooms out of everyone. Itachi having the most simple and cleanest room and Kakuzu having the most possessions in his room, but most organized.

Deidara's room was decent. Spacious but mostly empty except the dresser, bookshelf, and pile of clothes in the corner with the occasion food hiding under a dresser. Even Deidara's clay studio was decently cleaned and not cluttered. Hidan's room is a pigsty and I refuse to enter till the blood is cleaned. Meanwhile Sasori had the worse room. Puppets and poison _everywhere._

I dismissed the thought of the other's rooms and decided to pay more attention to Konan's. "Your chairs are so comfy. Like, I cold sleep here," I commented, scooting around in the chair.

Konan giggled. "They are just chairs Serenity. Why are you so excited?" she asked, resting her hands on her belly.

The first time I saw Konan pregnant I absolutely died. The fact that her and Nagato hooked up was enough to make me die but also the fact she was having a child made me more excited. I was so excited to meet her child! I started to gush about how beautiful and strong and intelligent they would be, just like their mommy and daddy. Needless to say Pein had to forcibly restrain me from hugging Konan too tightly.

"I don't know why. Everything is exciting here. I have so much to see and feel. Why wouldn't I be excited? I'm sitting in a interdimensional chair. That's a pretty big deal," I crossed my arms, "plus, it's kinda interesting to see how you and Pein live. I always thought of your house to be more -don't take this the wrong way- dull."

Konan gave me a confused expression before gesturing for me to continue. "I never imagined Pein to have a clean, luxurious, cream colored room. I kinda thought he'd be in a dimly lit room all day muttering about world domination and jinchuriki."

"Well I can understand why. Pein and I are not the most lively people. It is only nature that you'd assume our living conditions to be like ourselves. Though, ever since Pein and I were able to acquire more money we decided living a bit better wouldn't hurt. We lived most of our lives on the streets, this is lavish lifestyle compared to that."

I nodded, listening to her intently. "I agree. I barely remember it but when I recall coming to America and living in an actual house. The feeling I remember was weird."

"I'm sure it was-" Konan held up her finger and signaled for me to stop. She closed her eyes and nodded slowly. I leaned closer to her to see what she was doing before her eyes opened again. "Pein, he's communicating through the rings. He wants us to go downstairs." She then let out an amused smile and shook her head. "He told me it's a 'surprise'."

Konan stood up with the aid of the table and let out a soft groan. She leaned her weight against the white painted furniture all while her face was painted with a pained expression. "Any day now," she hissed through gritted teeth.

I rushed to her side and grabbed onto her arm. "I know you don't like it when others help you but-"

Konan leaned into my grip. "I don't like it when Pein helps me," she corrected.

"Why not?"

She huffed, still holding onto the table. "Pein is... anxious. It is my job to worry about him and not vice versa. I do not mind help, but I feel it is not right that he should help me when I should be helping him."

"I love you, but that's not healthy thinking. Relationships are both sides equally helping one another. But for now, I'll help you. I'll be like your personal escort, how 'bout that?" I asked, letting Konan wrapped her arm around mine.

"Thank you, Serenity. I don't know what I'd do without you," Konan sighed, slowly walking to the door with me.

"I don't know Konan, what would you do?" I questioned, opening the door for her.

Konan stepped through and I followed. As we traveled down the stairs she clutched my arm, trying to steady herself as she walked down the stairs. Her hair was longer and she was not wearing her makeup. Anyone could easily see how tired she was. She abandoned her Akatsuki cloak for a large shirt that somehow still looked flattering on her. She made everything look good.

Despite making everything look good, stress was still evident on her face. Konan was a powerful kunoichi with many enemies and with the stress of bearing a child just added to such anxieties. She had to plan for this child. What was she going to do with them? How was she going to care and be there for her child? Not to mention she had to worry about the rest of the Akatsuki and Madara as well.

"We're almost there. We can just sit in the living room," I said, helping her down the last set of stairs. Konan and I made it to the living room without an issue. June and Itachi still engaged in a intense chess game and Kisame was sitting besides the two, watching quietly. I sat down on the couch and sat next to Konan with a huff. "You see? You did fine," I patted her stomach, "so did you."

Konan looked around. "Now what is this surprise?"

Kisame turned around and smiled. "Hello, Konan-sama. Is the baby treating you okay today?"

Konan gave him a kind smile. "Hello Kisame, yes, the baby is treating me better than most days. Did Pein mention anything about a surprise to you?"

Kisame shrugged. "Sorry, he just told me to get in the living room a few minutes ago."

I looked to Konan. "I'll go check for... you..." My voice left my throat as I watched a familiar face sneak peek into the room and looked around. She then snuck into the room quietly and crouched behind June. My lovely _alive_ cousin was grinning ear to ear as she crouched right behind June. I couldn't believe she was okay! She was here and alive!

" _Oh mi Dios_... J-June," I stuttered out, pointing behind her.

June waved at dismissive hand towards me. "Quiet, I'm about to teach Itachi again that I am simply unbeatable."

Itachi let out a defeated sigh and shook his head. "June, I do not understand why you feel the need to prove me wrong." June nodded, letting him know she heard him, but at the same time Itachi looked up to see Ashton. "June," Itachi murmured, slowly pointing behind her.

"I heard you the first time."

"June!"

June looked behind her and screamed. The moment she saw Ashton she tackled her to the ground. Ashton held her arms out and wrapped them around June. I then flung myself off of the couch and onto the two. Ashton snaked her other arm from June and wrapped it around me. Both of our faces were buried in the crook of her neck and she rubbed soothing circles on our backs. "Shh, it's okay. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere I promise," Ashton whispered, slowly rocking us.

She let out a dry chuckle. "Come on guys. If you cry, I might cry and then we'll drown in our own tears."

My nose was pressed to her now wet neck. I covered my hiccups in her neck and kept my arms tightly wrapped around her arm. She in turn held me with one hand and tried soothing me but I couldn't seem to calm down. There were moments where I thought I would never see Ashton again. I knew she lived, because nothing could kill her. Though, in the back of my head, at night there was a nagging voice telling me she was going to die.

Ashton pushed me back and June as well. With a hand on each of our cheeks she smiled. "Done now?" she questioned, wiping tears from my cheeks.

"Mhm," I hummed, nodding my head slowly.

June set Ashton's hand down and chuckled. "I missed you. A lot," June murmured, her voice cracking.

Ashton made an "aww" sound and grabbed onto June. "It's okay! I'm fine, please don't cry." Ashton held onto June while she struggled to pull back.

"I'm not crying," she complained, wiping her cheeks just in case stray tears were to fall. June pulled back fully and smiled at Ashton then at me. "We're good now."

"Yeah," I breathed. "We're good."

Ashton laughed loudly and ruffled my hair. "You won't believe what I went through! I met Sakura and Tsunade and Kakashi. I learned some cool fighting moves and I can totally kick Hidan's butt now! I ended up in the hospital then-!"

"You met Tsunade?" June exclaimed, tugging at Ashton's shoulder.

"Of course! I met Asuma and his team too! I also got chased by like," she looked down and counted on her fingers, "five Anbu! I had ramen and more ramen. You guys should've been there. It was great!"

I smiled brightly. "I wish! I was with Naruto and Jiraiya! I learned how to meditate and use chakra! I also met on of Sasori's spies and taught Naruto to dance. Hidan and Deidara found me. What about you?"

She jerked a finger towards Kisame. "Him and Kakuzu."

June feigned an offended gasp. "Kisame! You found her and did not tell me? I'm offended. I truly am. No special treatment or bias for you anymore. I guess Itachi and I will have to partner up and go on our endeavors without your presence. I am disappointed."

Kisame shrugged. "Oh well."

Ashton smiled bright and took in a deep breath to continue talking but I tugged at her sleeve before she could continue. "Someone else wants to say hello," I giggled, gesturing to Konan.

Ashton looked up and noticed Konan leaning out of the couch. She was staring at Ashton contently with her hands folded on her stomach. Ashton's mouth opened wide. For a moment she couldn't form any sentences but simply stare at Konan. I only figured she was happy and joyous. She was overwhelmed with joy surely.

"But how!"

Konan shook her head then stared back at Ashton. "W-what!" Konan sputtered, looking at Ashton wide eyed.

"Well you see, Ashton, when two people love each other very much," June sarcastically lectured.

Ashton pushed June away and stared at Konan. "What do you mean 'what'? You wouldn't hook up with anyone other than him! I thought... He can't... How!" Aston sputtered, crawling up to Konan.

Konan pushed Ashton's hands away as she was about to touch her belly. "I cannot believe you at this moment Ashton Coal. I see you for the first time in months. I missed you deeply, even when you were presumed dead and this is what you say?" Konan crossed her arms and looked away.

Ashton hoisted herself onto the couch and snickered. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry," Konan allowed Ashton to lay her hands on her stomach, "what's their name?"

"Isamu if my child is male and Ayami if they are female. I'm due soon."

Ashton hugged Konan gently. "I missed you a lot, girlfriend." Ashton held up her hand and Konan raised her own to slap it.

"High five," Konan stated solemnly.

"High five," Ashton repeated, nodding her head seriously. "What have you been doing? How is Pein handling this?"

Konan chuckled quietly. "He won't let me do anything. When I told him I was pregnant he nearly died. He looked so stunned. At first I suspected he would not want to keep our baby because he left the room without a word. He approached me later telling me how wonderful this child will be. After all, they are going to be the Son of God."

"You should have named him Jesus then."

"Who?"

June coughed to gain her attention. "A sovereign savior in our world. It is said he could preform many miracles like walk on water, make water turn to wine, and can feed thousands out of scraps. He brought joy to many."

Konan quirked an eyebrow. "He just sounds like a good entertainer."

June snorted loudly at the unexpected statement and wheezed out. She was red in the face from a mixture of holding in tears and now laughing. Her face resembled that of a tomato because of how red and round her face was.

Ashton ignored her wheezing fit and looked around the room to spot Itachi on the sofa, still staring at Ashton with the most impassive look. "Excuse me, Konan," Ashton stood up and skipped to Itachi, "I have other business to attend to."

Ashton jumped onto Itachi's lap and draped an arm around his neck then kicked out her leg dramatically to pose. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "Did'ja miss me, Tachi? Huh?" she asked, giving him a wink then raising her eyebrows at him.

"Does this count as sexual assault?"

"It's not assault if you enjoy it," she purred lowly, seductively leaning close to him while pushing her chest out.

His deadpan facial expression did not alter. "I don't enjoy it. Now, get off."

Ashton feigned a horrified gasp. "Come one now! You know you missed me!"

Itachi pushed her off of his lap and stood up immediately. "No."

Ashton rubbed her bottom and pouted. "That was very rude of you. Didn't June teach you that was rude?"

June looked to Ashton and sighed. "We're still working on that. Right?"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Of course we are. My behavior is horrid." The Uchiha seated himself on the ground by June and leaned into her. I giggled, Itachi only did feel comfortable with June's contact and rarely Kisame and mine.

"Be lucky June loves you, kid. Itachi would've done more than just push you," Kisame laughed, thoroughly enjoying the scene.

Ashton waved a dismissive hand. "Pssh. Itachi loves me. The only reason we're not together is because he likes blondes. Isn't that right?" Ashton raised her eyebrows at Itachi and he rolled his eyes.

Kisame laughed. "Ooo, he has you there, Itachi."

Itachi leaned into June and glared at me. "Do you not have other things to attend to? Go pester Hidan or Deidara. Frankly, I have enjoyed the morning. Without you," Itachi suggested. The Uchiha buried his face into June's shoulder, her hair covered half of his face. He glared at Ashton and June kissed the top of his head all while snickering.

"Or I could go pester Pein!" Ashton announced happily, rocketing up and running to me. She tugged on my hand and pulled me towards the door. "Hey, hey, Seri. Show me where Pein's room is, I wanna thank him for actually getting me. I was scared that I'd be stuck for awhile," she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "and I thought maybe you wouldn't come. But after I found out Kisame and Kakuzu were heading to Konoha for me I realized everything was fine."

I grabbed her hand and smiled. "Got it. Follow me," I stood up and walked out of the room with Ashton in tow, "see you June, bro." I ruffled June's hair on my way out and Ashton did the same to Itachi but she received a slap to the hand.

The two of us raced up the sets of stairs like children. As we ran up I rambled about each level. How we passed the artist's room or where Hidan and I wrestled around. I explained how June lived on the level we were first on and I bunked with Deidara. She told me she'd probably be sent with the zombies like usual.

By the time we reached Pein's office Ashton was a giggling mess and walked up to his door. "Pein! I'm like a freakin' ninja now!" She then proceeded to kick the door off of its hinges and jump into the room. Pein was sitting at his desk with a cup of coffee and looking at her exasperatedly. He already looked done with her behavior and it wasn't even a minute.

"I learned how to kick down doors!" Ashton yelled, running to his side. She waited for him to stand up excitedly and hugged him. Pein stood up with a loud sigh and Ashton hugged him tightly while he leaned away from her. "Thank you for actually looking for me. I know I can be terrible sometimes but you actually didn't leave me!"

"Don't touch me." Pein pried Ashton off of his person and kept her at arms length. "You're welcome. I don't think I could abandon you with the information you posses. The other members wouldn't allow it. It was either retrieving you or raising their pay."

Ashton gave him a deadpanned expression, clearly unamused with his humor. "Really? You would leave me if you didn't have to give everyone else a raise? You are unbelievable Pein!" She turned around and crossed her arms dramatically. "And I really did think our relationship was improving! With that attitude I may have to sic Konan on you."

"Oh no," Pein deadpanned, waving his hands sarcastically.

"You should be scared of her. Konan could totally beat you in a fight if she wanted to. She's just pregnant and too kind to try it now," Ashton announced, shaking her head as if she was disappointed in Pein.

"I am sure Konan could," Pein said dismissively.

Ashton put her hands on her hips. "You're totally whipped, you know that? Konan really runs this organization and we a know. Do you ever see the others talking back to her? No, that's because she is too awesome for that sort of disrespect," Ashton explained.

Pein sat back down in his large chair and relaxed into it. "Honestly speaking, I am glad you are safe. I have been informed you were in Konoha for a more than a month and being housed by a shinobi, correct?" Ashton nodded for him to go on. "I have also been informed you were trained by the local shinobi and also confronted by a _certain someone_. I need to discuss that with you now. The information you may posses is crucial," Pein looked to me, "thank you for brining Ashton, Serenity. You are dismissed."

I gave him a sad pout and walked over to Ashton. "But I just go her back. I don't want her to..." Pein continued to stare at me with an uncaring expression. "Okay, okay. Let her out before dinner or I'm not making you any food."

I gave her a quick hug before walking out of the room to make dinner. On my way out she waved to me and gave me a reassuring smile that made me feel a little better.

* * *

 **Ashton's back! She'll finally get to tell Pein about her encounter with Danzo and knowing Ashton Pein will have another headache.**

 **Fun Fact- Konan originally did not want to tell Nagato she was pregnant in fear he'd want her to rid of it. Nagato was silent after the announcement because it seemed so unreal to him.**

 **A- Haku! My precious homicidal, ice baby.**

 **Q- Least favorite reanimated character?**

 **Well, thank you for reading! Till next time!**


	17. When to plan

June's POV

We were in the designated meeting room, which hasn't been used since the Akatsuki landed back in their world. It was dusty and the paint on the wood was chipped away from previous years of use. I started to question if Pein really did keep up on maintenance and if not why? Was it because he was too lazy or busy? I'm sure it's a mixture of both.

Pein cleared his throat loudly to gain our attention and set his hands down on the large table. "I have gathered you all here to discuss the future of the organization and the girls. June will remain here, but the fate of Serenity and Ashton are undecided. First, I would like to hear what they have to stay about their situation and a solution," Pein announced, his ringed eyes glaring at everyone.

"I want Serenity and Ashton to leave. As for me, I remain stationed here," I said, mimicking Pein's body language.

Serenity raised her brow. "Uh, no? June you can't stay here alone. You have a job and what about our family? We have the bills to pay for and I can't pay it off myself. You're not a shinobi either, I don't want you saying here."

I glanced at Pein, waiting for him to answer the question at hand. "June will be staying here for now. I am hiring June and will pay for basic needs in your world. She will say here and act as a seer and consoler to the Akatsuki."

"Really now?" Ashton snorted, covering her mouth mockingly. "How are you going to pay for our basic needs, huh?"

Before Pein could speak Kakuzu interjected. "I was not informed about this financial decision and agree with Ashton. The girls are welcomed here, but paying for their needs?" Kakuzu looked at Ashton skeptically. "Have you heard what Ashton claims to be basic needs?"

She sunk into her chair and grinned sheepishly.

"Ashton, would you care to inform Pein your idea of what are basic needs?" Kakuzu inquired, raising an eyebrow at Ashton.

"Food, water, shelter, and air," Ashton listed proudly, as if she was a kindergartener reciting the alphabet on her first try.

Kakuzu scoffed. "That's not what you said to me last time." Kakuzu turned his attention back to Pein. "Last time we went shopping Ashton claimed rainbow glitter packets and hats were a basic necessity."

Pein rolled his eyes. "I am not paying for Ashton's impulsive spending sprees."

"I think the glitter packets sounded like a good idea," Serenity murmured, crossing her arms as she feigned offense.

Kisame raised his hand half heartedly, signaling he was going to speak. His large arm was right in my face and I pushed his arms away after Pein nodded to him. "As much as I love June I agree with Serenity. She's not a shinobi and doesn't now the lay out of our world. It will take her years to even be able to keep up with us. I think we should-"

"I respect your opinion Kisame but June is capable," Sasori interjected. His arms were crossed as he idly examined his wood work. He was done with this meeting and it has only been five minutes and forty seconds. "Have you seen what she was able to accomplish with chakra control while alone?"

Kisame opened his mouth to answer but Sasori cut him off. "No, you haven't and I do no care what you are going to say next because whatever it is will be invalid." Sasori pointed to me. "Don't let this get to your head!"

"Anyways, June is very capable and I am willing to bet she will be capable enough not to not die or be paralyzed for life. I'd teach her personally if that means the Akatsuki is to stay well and beneficial to me."

Sasori's face was smeared with a smug expression. "Anyone else?"

Kisame shot his arms again, almost smacking me in the face. "Yes! I still disagree and heavily so. June is not meant for shinobi life and the Akatsuki will be troubled if anyone else is to discover her future knowledge. I say we ourselves learn the information and let June leave."

"All of us possessing such knowledge is not the brightest idea. It will affect the way we go about everything and will change the future. The girls being here as already disrupted the flow of time; as we speak the future that was supposed to be in is being ebbed away," Sasori countered, angered that Kisame was questioning.

Kisame slumped in his chair, accepting defeat. I patted Kisame's arm. "It's okay, you tried."

"This wasn't up for debate in the first place..." Pein trailed, his voice sounding very disappointed. "As I was saying. Serenity and Ashton have a choice. Stay or leave, the choice is yours."

"Guess who's staying!" Ashton yelled proudly. She slapped the table excitedly then started to rapidly pound on it. "With my awesome new ninja techniques I'll be up to date in no time. Though, I don't have chakra soooo..."

Serenity looked at Ashton questionably. "Are you sure? I have chakra. Given it's not my own but I have chakra alright."

"Nobody told me this!" Ashton stood up from her seat and huffed. "I literally was telling everyone I didn't have chakra and they just nodded their heads politely."

Kakuzu held her shoulder for her to sit down. "We all thought you were smart enough to come to that conclusion by yourself. Do not try to use it yet, you might hurt yourself."

 _Serenity nodded in agreement. "Jiraiya and the others had to explain it to me. We're like magnets. We attract chakra and our bodies try to regulate it but ultimately it doesn't work well so that's why we have to process it. I meditate to process the chakra, but I could dispel it on a regular basis. But you, you haven't dispelled any f it yet and that's really dangerous." Serenity looked to Sasori to see if she was explaining everything okay. Sasori nodded at her and continued. "The transportation jutsu ensures life and the laws of this rule require chakra, which we don't have a chakra, so our bodes are making a make shift system by attracting chakra and regulating it."_

I nodded at Serenity explanation, she explained it very well, though it didn't explain me. I was a different case. I could process my own chakra but I didn't have a system. I silently thanked Sasori for messing up my body's natural cycle, even if I did not agree to it.

"It is settled, they will stay with us. As for their needs I will provide. I believe you already have sleeping arrangements?" Pein inquired, looking for any objections. I nodded to Pein. Serenity would be staying with Deidara, Ashton claimed she would alternate between the zombies, and I stay with Itachi.

"Good," Pein continued. "Onto the next matter. I do not want the girls defenseless. I leave training in the hands of you all. It would be best if you all chose to specialize in something soon. Itachi and Kisame are the only team without a medic or someone capable of medical ninjutsu. So, June I want you to become a medic. You're past experience will prove useful as well as your exceptional use in chakra control. Sasori, Kakuzu, and Konan will be in charge of that area, June. Konan will join as soon as she is feeling adequate to teach."

"Where is Konan?" Ashton said, perking at the mention of our friend.

"Konan is not feeling well. She is resting in our quarters for now, but this brings me to another topic. After the child is born I do not any of you touching them without my or Konan's permission. If harm comes to them I will be forced to show you the power of God. It is not that I believe all of you are incompetent," Pein glanced at Hidan, "some of you are just inexperienced."

Hidan slammed his hands on the table and jumped up. "Oi! I ain't incompetent! You fu-"

"Anyways," Pein dismissed loudly. "Ashton has some important news for us."

Ashton glared at Hidan. "Sit down, this is my time." Hidan quickly sat down all while muttering curses to himself. "While I was in Konoha I may or may not have slipped and told someone I knew the future. This may or may not have lead to Danzo taking an interest in me because I told him how he becomes Hokage and dies."

I felt Itachi tense next to me, but that was only because I was so close. Danzo was a taboo word around him, actually Itachi had three taboo words. Anyways, Danzo was almost like a trigger for him and every time he heard that name he became angry. I knew what he did to Itachi. I knew Danzo concerned him and Itachi despised the man with every fiber of his being. To calm him I grabbed onto Itachi's hand. He looked at me, his lips thinning. He was thinking, maybe wanting to say something. Regardless I tightened my grip to reassure him. Danzo wasn't going to hurt him.

"For one," Kakuzu started, "you're a total idiot and secondly, why? Why did you do it and why did you not tell us?"

"I had two ROOT agents kidnap me then beat the crap out of me. I then was confronted by Danzo. He then molested me with his creepiness and was going to lock me away forever. I had to catch his attention somehow! I told him he was going to become Hokage someday and then he dies. I caught his attention and after a threat he let me go. He wanted to see me the next day but I left that morning. From there I ran into Tobi then Kakuzu and Kisame," she explained sheepishly. "And I didn't tell you because it slipped my mind."

"Molested you?" Itachi questioned, his grip tightening around my hand.

"It's her way of explaining things, hon," I murmured, rubbing my thumb over his hand. I wanted to chuckle but I didn't because of the gravity of the situation. Itachi may be more protective over Serenity and I but that doesn't mean he isn't protective of Ashton. I think Itachi just knows Ashton is tougher and can take care of herself.

Pein cleared his throat again. "Now, if you'd let me continue. I am going to be integrating each one of the girls into a team. Each team will be responsible for training and taking care of one of the girls. In turn, the girls will protect the organization with their knowledge and anything else they can provide."

"Ashton, you shall be joining Kakuzu and Hidan. Serenity, you will be joining Deidara and Sasori. Finally, June shall accompany Itachi and Kisame. Any disagreements?" Pein questioned, looking around for any objections.

"Sweet, I'm a zombie brother now!" Ashton yelled, pumping her fist in the air.

Serenity smiled and ruffled Deidara's hair. "Looks like I'm sticking with you." Deidara smiled back at her and ruffled Serenity's hair in return.

"Good, our next order of business now..." Pein trailed.

* * *

Ashton, Serenity, and I were all congregated in Itachi and I's room. We were sitting on our bed, loudly talking among ourselves. I was explaining what I was going to do over the next few years. "Itachi and I have already discussed this subject already. I will be trainging under Sasori mostly, but Kakuzu and Konan will also aid me. I assume if I train diligently for the next couple of years I could get to Sakura's level at mid Shippuden in medical ninjutsu. I also want to figure out Tsunade's kick, but that will take some time."

Ashton nodded. "I wanna giant sword! Like Zabuza's and I want to spit out fire! How cool would that be!"

I chuckled at her excitement. "So you want to be a swordsmen?

"Swordswoman," she corrected, taking off her hat and setting it on my dresser.

"I'm thinking of picking up some medic jutsu myself. Danna would be more than willing to help me out. Otherwise, I'd be staying here more than training. Konan and I talked and I offered to stay sometime and watch their child. I also wouldn't mind helping Pein with paperwork and being in charge of some of the tasks in the village."

"We have two and a half years until Shippuden starts up and I think it would be wise if Ame had complete trust in Pein. I don't know what will happen by the Pein invasion but I want this village to be economically well and stable. They should be able to function with the absence of Pein and Konan and a few distresses. I know I'm thinking too far ahead but by the shinobi war Ame might be looked down on by the other nations or even attacked."

"Serenity, that's very thoughtful of you. Don't you think it would be wiser to train though?" I questioned, giving her a confused expression. I did understand her thinking but she was giving up training time. That is precious time she can't get back and who knows when she'll need it.

Serenity shrugged in return. "Sacrifices must be made. I want this village to be well off and the child to grow up happy. Konan is very busy so I don't want her to worry. Pein doesn't seem fit for paper work either." She rubbed her hands nervously. "Plus, I don't want to really hurt anyone. I know sometimes I can be violent, but I don't want to do any real damage to anyone."

Ashton patted Serenity on the back and gave her a happy grin. "That's perfectly understandable, Seri. Don't worry, leave all the fighting to me. I'm planning on learning alot of jutsu so I can level up quickly. Kakuzu knows plenty of jutsu so he'll be able to teach me." Ashton drew back her hand and pointed to me. "Hidan isn't a master when it comes to swords but he can get me started and June and I can switch off. I can go train with Kisame and June can learn from Kakuzu. Sounds like a good plan, right?"

I nodded in agreement. "Ashton's right. We can take care of the fighting while you help the village and the kid. You could even be some kind of secretary. The teams could even stand to brush up on their teamwork and combos. In the anime I didn't see a lot of combo moves. You're a chorographer, you could choreograph team moves."

Serenity's chin was resting above her hand and nodding along to our words. "You're right. I'll try my best."

There was a soft knock on the door. I looked up to the door. "Come in."

The door opened and Itachi stepped through. His hair was out of his ponytail and he was a tint of red. He came into the room with a nod. "Good afternoon, Serenity, Ashton. How are you?" he asked, sitting on the bed. I sat behind him and he handed me a hair tie. I tied his hair back for him and kissed the back of his neck. After I finished tying his ponytail he turned around. "Thank you."

"We're doing good, you?" Ashton asked, crawling on the bed to get closer to Itachi.

He huffed. "Sore."

I let out a soft coo and rubbed his shoulders. "Training, huh?" I asked, standing on my knees to get some leverage. Itachi nodded in response and I kissed the top of his head. "I'll tell Kisame to hit lighter next time. How would you like it if Serenity made some dango tonight? She wouldn't mind."

Serenity nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I can make some dango for you!" Her eyes trailed down. "Does it really hurt that bad?"

Itachi shook his head and turned to Serenity. "It is nothing I am not able to handle. Kisame knows my limits." His usual deadpan facial expression shifted into a soft smile. It was a smile visible only to the people who know him well. "Thank you for the offer, Serenity. The Akatsuki is quite spoiled to have you."

"You're welcome," Serenity brushed some hair behind her ear, "if Ashton and June train too, will they be in a lot of pain? I don't want them loosing an arm or an eye."

"Serenity, the life of a shinobi is very dangerous. It is their choice to live such a dangerous life. I cannot guarantee your friends will not be harmed but I can promise you I will keep them safe. Can your mind rest now?" he inquired, slowly getting up from the bed.

Serenity nodded. "Yeah, I think I can. You're strong, bro and you don't lie to me."

Itachi gave her another smile and opened the door. "Then I will keep my word. I must ask you and Ashton to leave now."

Ashton and Serenity rolled off the bed and shuffled to the door. Serenity walked out without a word, but Ashton gave Itachi a playful solute. "See ya, Tachi! Looking forward to not dying because of you."

He shook is head and kept a hand out just incase Ashton were to assault him again. Ashton began to laugh as she left, finding it humorous that she made Itachi heavily uncomfortable. I let out a snicker as well and Itachi slammed the door quietly before Ashton changed her mind.

"What do you find so humorous, love?"

I calmed my laughter. "Just that you have to be on the defensive around Ashton. She can't hurt you."

Itachi lowered himself onto the bed. "She assaulted me yesterday. I beg to differ."

I leaned onto his shoulder and sighed deeply, but contently. My nose crinkled after I sighed and I looked to him. "Go take a shower. You're all sweaty."

Itachi feigned offense. His eyebrow slightly quirked and mouth twitched down. If you asked me it was one of his most expressive expression. "I love you too," he muttered, already rising from his seat.

None of the room were built for couples. Each room was meant for one person and not partners. So Itachi and I shared a small room with only one wardrobe and two dressers. We had a hand held mirror and shared a bed a bit larger than a twin bed. Kisame and Itachi's rooms were connected by a sliding door. Itachi's side owned the bathroom which had room for a shower, toilet and counter with a sink. Though, our bathroom wasn't dirty. I just usually bathed in Konan's wonderful bathroom because of how luxurious it was.

He pulled off his shirt and opened the bathroom door. "By the by. Would you like anything for our bathing room?"

I hummed thoughtfully in response. "Yes please. A large mirror and some soft towels would be nice. And shampoo!"

He nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. I heard the shower curtains close then the shower itself turn on. I flopped onto our bed and sighed. It was hard to believe I was going to be living here. I wondered what would happen to our house. Pein would probably allow visits. I'm sure of it.

Though, I shouldn't over think of it for now. It was time to relax.

* * *

 **Oof, you know when you have ideas but don't know how to connect the ideas... yeah... Anyways I have another chapter written so I'll post that soon after this one, but bad news is all the ones I had prepared after that were deleted and now I find little to none motivation to rewrite them...**

 **Fun Fact- Itachi wants to propose to June, but being the troubled romantic he is he has no idea how to do it.**

 **A- I actually like most of the reanimated characters, even if we don't know them that much.**

 **Q- How do you think Itachi is/should propose to June?**

 **Anyways, that's all for now. Thank you and till next time.**


	18. When to End

Soooo, hey.

I'm abandoning this due to maturity and embarrassment. Sorry if some of y'all were actually invested in this. But I think I'll keep writting, but not trash like this. Never again lol.

Hopefully...

Anyways, just a quick run down of what I was going to write. Basically girls train over time skip but this is just for basic defense and they still get beat up. During the time skip Itachi and June marry! Ame then gets attacked, Konan gives birth to a baby boy named Isamu during the attack, June gets revenge through the political and economic system, Deidara and Serenity get captured, after Sasori's fight with Sakura, but escape, then Ashton gets captured by Orchimaru. She is saved months after and is left without her left arm. Itachi goes to fight Sasuke, but Kisame intervenes because June begged him and Itachi lives. Before the Shinobi War happens and instead of Obito declaring war, the actual Madara Uchiha does because Zetsu does some research and finds his body before Kabuto. The war happens and Zetsu dies and Obito does not. Right before the war Obito impulsively declares love to Ashton and they get married that night. Fast forward to war and Ashton suffers from an injury and during her diagnoses, the medic says she pregnant rip

War ends like canon but Kakuzu retires as a shinobi, Pein reveals himself as Nagato and becomes the Amekage, and the Akatsuki, except Itachi, Konan, and Pein, do have to pay for their crimes, but a substantial amount of punishment is knocked off because of their aid in the war. The member to pay the least time is Hidan surprisingly and the most time goes to Obito. Ashton has twin girls named Kuro and Aiko, but everyone calls Aiko Candy because of her sweet nature. June and Itachi have a son named Shisui and Serenity adopts a boy named Touza but later has a relationship with Hidan.

But I had fun. Thank you to all those who read. I got a lot of happiness outta it! Thank you to all my readers, reviewers, and lurkers! I can't believe you actually read this but thank you so much. It means a lot that people would actually want to read and listen to a dorky kid. Surprisingly, I gained a lot of confidence from this and somehow? matured in some way despite this being the silliest thing.

I'm glad I got to share Ashton, June, and Serenity's adventures with you.

Thank you, and till next time!


End file.
